Crash Landing
by m1129
Summary: Modern Day/AU- Four & Tris meet on a flight where they're headed to New Zealand for work. They get to know each other a bit on the long journey, but are thrown into a situation they & the fellow passengers aren't expecting; a crash landing, on an uninhabited island. Enjoy the tale of their survival and romantic feelings for one another. Rated M/MA (language & mature sexual content)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again!**

**Yes, since I'm soon finishing up my other story "New Life In Portland", I was eager to get started on my next story, which you have the first chapter of below.**

**This is a romantic Four/Tris story, but will also involve some mild action, drama, and angst, which is new for me. But it will still be fluffy and lovey dovey, and again- is ultimately a romance. So please review and let me know what you think!**

**Also, this story is Rated M, primarily for language and sex (but sex won't be until later chapters). Lastly, I don't own any rights to Divergent. I'm just borrowing the characters for this original modern-day/AU fanfiction story!**

**:)**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**"Crash Landing"**

**Chapter 1:**

**~TRIS POV~**

After giving my mom and dad a big hug goodbye and reassuring them I'll call them when I get to my apartment, I wave to them and make my way through the busy Los Angeles airport, suitcases and carry-on bags in hand.

After checking my two large suitcases at the applicable counter and going through security, I head towards the terminal that I'm directed to. But as I near it, I realize I have some spare time to kill and my stomach is grumbling of hunger. I remember that in my rush to leave this morning, I never ate breakfast. Although they'll probably have food on the plane, it's still a 16 hour flight, and I'm nervous about this new experience and big change in my life, so I decide to stock up so that I can binge eat if I feel the need.

I stop at one of the small shops and load my hands with a bunch of various snacks, bottled drinks, and a couple new paperback books, since I know I'll be finishing up the one in my purse all too soon.

By the time I've paid for my things there and have a full bag of snacks and novels to read, I decide to grab a coffee from the nearby Starbucks, as well as a croissant. As I wait for my order to be called, I check my phone, knowing I'll probably have to turn it off when we're in-flight. I reply to a couple texts, first of which is a message from my brother Caleb. Letting him know that yes, today is the day of my departure, and that I'll text him when I arrive. Then I then reply to my friend Ciara, who has been one of my best friends and supporting people in my life. She was sad she couldn't be here when dropping me off at the airport, but she had her finals to take, as she is studying to me a pediatrician. So I assured her it wasn't a big deal. Plus, we got to go out and celebrate together last night. She's already saving up to come and stay with me next summer as well, which we're both looking forward to.

Finally, after grabbing my venti vanilla latte, I head towards the terminal where I am told I will be able to board the private jet that will be taking me to New Zealand for my new job.

I enter the small waiting area and take a seat while waiting until we're called to board.

As I sit and wait, sipping on my hot coffee, I glance around and see that I'm the only one waiting in this private seating area so far. Despite being alone, I still feel somewhat out of place, it feels like I'm in the V.I.P. or First Class waiting area or something. But I guess that's the kind of treatment you get when you fly on a private jet.

I have yet to actually meet anyone who will be joining me on the flight, all of whom I have been told will be helping with this big project of opening a new luxury resort in Auckland, New Zealand.

My employer and the owner of this soon-to-be grand hotel, a wealthy business man and entrepreneur named Jim Rosburg, is still in Los Angeles. And the main project building manager of this new New Zealand location, David Mason, is already there at the site of where the grand hotel is currently being built and is due to open in 9 months. But I was told that many other important people, primarily managerial staff who have been hired to run this new hotel, will be on this jet with me to get a head start on this large project.

I technically started working for Jim about 5 years ago. Tori Wu, the hotel manager of his luxury boutique hotel in Malibu, hired me to start at the front desk when I was just 20 years old, since I had some experience working the front counter at the local Hilton hotel. Tori has been great, she's actually been quite a mentor for me, as well as a friend.

Thankfully she saw my potential, reliability and good work ethic, and helped me work my way up the chain fairly quickly over the years, even while I still attended college. Just a year and a half ago, I had become lead HR manager of the Malibu hotel. I was glad to take on a position that I enjoyed and made me some stable money, but was glad it was also fairly easy work and didn't take up too much of my time. At least not more than the standard 40 hours a week I work. Which means I'm actually able to have time to enjoy my main hobby, writing.

However, a part of me didn't want to be stuck in Southern California forever. I badly wanted to travel, but new it would be difficult without quitting my job. I thought about transferring to one of Jim's other hotels, as he has one in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Hawaii and Florida, as we'll as one in Paris and London. But none have had the lead HR position open, which is what I knew best. So when they announced they'd be opening two new locations, one in Italy and one in New Zealand, I jumped at the opportunity and applied for both locations, hoping at lest one would work out. The HR position at the Italy location was snatched up by someone with more experience than me. But thankfully after countless interviews and a bit of persuading on behalf of Tori, I got the job as HR manager manager of the New Zealand location. Jim said if I do well, then the plan is to have me hire the staff and get them acquainted for a couple years, then hire someone to take over for me there, so that I can help open another location in 2017. Either in Greece or Fiji. So this dream of being able to travel, might just be within my reach, even within my current job under Rosburg Enterprises.

As I think about my luck with these awesome opportunities that have come up in my life, I notice a couple people filter in. They're both dressed nicely, the man in a navy blue suit, and the girl is in a grey pencil skirt, white top and black blazer. Which makes me feel even more out of place, as I sit sipping on my coffee in skinny jeans, a brown belt with matching boots, and a short sleeved white blouse. They approach me and I stand to shake their hand.

"Hello, I'm Harrison, Accounting and Finance." he says, shaking my hand with a friendly smile.

"And I'm Christina- Customer Service and Hospitality." She says with a big smile.

"Nice to meet you both, I'm Beatrice Prior. But you can call me Tris. I'm the HR Manager."

"Good to meet you too. So, have you been to New Zealand before?" She asks as she take a seat nearby, and Harrison heads to the nearby mini bar.

"No, I'm actually from California, and unfortunately have never traveled outside the state." I say.

"Well, you're due for some adventure then, huh? And I hear it's beautiful where we're going." She replies.

As we continue our light conversation over the next 15 minutes or so, I realize how relieved I am to have met her. She seems so friendly and easy to talk to, which is really comforting considering this big move I'm making and not knowing anyone.

She eventually says she's going to hit up the restroom before we board the plane, so she leaves me to myself for a bit, where I pick up on reading the Dean Koontz novel I'm currently 2/3 of the way through.

Every so often, I notice a few more people trickle into the room. They seem friendly, but only a some of them introduce themselves. Such as Johanna Reyes- the hotels General Manager, Zeke Pedrad- Sales Manager, Uriah- who I find out is Zeke's brother and is the Maintenance Manager, Marlene- who in charge of Administration, and George Wu, who I've actually met once before, since he's Tori's brother. He will be the new restaurant and kitchen manager.

I can't help but notice a couple of guys who sit off in opposite corners of the waiting area as well, minding their own business. They don't seem to know each other, or if they do, you'd never know it. But they both seem fairly closed off and keep to themselves. One of them is a muscular guy with blondish hair and an eyebrow piercing. He doesn't seem very friendly or outgoing, and honestly, I have no idea what kind of position he might hold within the hotel.

Once I sneak a glance at the other guy, I notice he is similar in the aspect of being anti-social, but he has a likeness to him. I don't know why, but I automatically already like him more than the blond guy. Maybe it's because he's so attractive, but I feel like it's more than that. I mean, he might even be the hottest guy I've ever seen. Even from where I sit far across the other side of the room, I admire his medium brown hair, strong jaw and golden skin tone. Plus, he also seems quite muscular, but leaner than the other guy. But even beyond his good looks, something about him interests me. I find myself being curious about him. Who is he? What is his job? What are his interests?

As I catch myself glancing at him a second time, I take in his apparel. He makes me feel a little better dressing casual, as he just wears jeans and a gray button up shirt.

But I shake my head to gather my bearings and keep myself from staring. I try to put my focus back on my book, but I can't seem to concentrate. It's like he has a magnetic pull and I just want to look at him. How creepy is that? Especially if I'm going to be working with this guy. I don't want to seem like a weirdo. So I force myself to keep my eyes to myself.

Thankfully, its not long until we're called to board the private jet. We're led outside and up the stairs into the clean white Gulfstream G550.

As we enter, Christina and I can't help the small gasp that escapes us as we take in our surroundings. The fine interior of the plane with shiny wood panel detailing, the individual reclining cushioned tan leather seats, the tables that separate them with built in cup holders and chilled champagne nearby, as we'll as what appears to be a personal TV for every seat. This is definitely an expensive plane. I know Jim is a rich man, but I have to say, I'm surprised he's offered us his company jet to fly us to our destination.

One by one, we filter into the plane's cabin and place our carry-on bags into the overhead compartments, and find seats. Christina sits across from me, and I notice the handsome guy sits next to me, on the other side of the aisle. But he sets his laptop bag in the seat next to him, obviously implying he wishes nobody sit there. He seems to be getting out his headphones, but pauses to listen as the pilots and cabin crew introduce themselves in person.

"Hello everyone, my name is Amar. I'm the pilot of this fine jet, and this is my co-pilot, Will. Our flight attendants here are Nita and Lauren. We will be taking a straight trip to Auckland, New Zealand, without layover. The trip should take us just over 16 hours, and we will be serving a few meals along the way, as well as beverages. There are also a number of on-flight movies for you to pick from with the click of your TV's remote. So please, make yourselves comfortable and let Nita or Lauren know if there is anything you need." He explains and then finds his way back to the cockpit. Will gives us a smile and a nod, which I notice is especially directed toward Christina, then follows Amar.

Once were all settled, we're instructed to buckle up for take off. I notice the handsome guy is resting his hands casually in his lap, but they're clasped together quite forcefully, causing his knuckles to go white. But his face doesn't show any emotion. I wonder if he's afraid of flying?

Once were at an appropriate elevation, we're told we can remove our seat belts and mill about if we wish. But I notice handsome guy remains in his seat, buckled, listening to his headphones as he reads his book, with what I think is a Jack and Coke in his left hand.

After a couple hours of sitting and chatting with Christina, and flipping through magazines with her, she encourages me to get up and talk with the others. So we make our rounds and say hi to everyone. We chat a bit with the people we had already met, and introduce ourselves to the ones we had yet to meet. I learn the not-so-friendly-looking blonde guy, is Eric, and he's head of security. I also meet Al, who will be the Reservations Manager. When we head towards handsome guy, Christina makes a face and turns back around to avoid him, whispering to me that he doesn't seem to want to be bothered, and that he's just intimidating. So she goes back to chat with Marlene and the others, seemingly excited to join in on their game of rummy. While I decide to go back to my seat and read some more. As I pull out my book, I realize handsome guy is reading the same one.

For some reason I decide to point this out. I take my book and nudge his with it. He looks up, almost looking annoyed that he had been interrupted. He removes his earbuds to look at me, as if waiting to see what I want.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"Sorry, I didn't um, I didn't mean to bother you. I just noticed we're reading the same book." I say, for some reason stumbling over my words, which is unlike me. Maybe it's because he's acting like a jerk? Or because for the first time, he's looking right at me?

"Oh, yeah." He says indifferently.

"What chapter are you on?" I ask. _Stupid Tris_, I scold myself. Why are you still talking to him?

"19." He states simply. I nod and submissively look back down at the book in my lap, willing myself to leave him alone. He obviously doesn't want to make small talk.

"You?" He asks, which surprises me. And it almost seems to surprise him too.

"24." I say, shyly. "But I bought the next two in the series at the airport store, so it should keep me busy for a while." He nods and offers me a hint of a smile. It was barely there, but I know I saw it for a brief second.

"You can borrow them too if you want, when you're done with that one." I add before he puts his headphones back in place.

"Thanks." He says, and I see his mouth quirk up again just slightly as goes back to his book.

I try to withhold my smile at the fact that I actually talked to him. I don't know why he makes me flustered, but he does. Thankfully I feel like our little conversation -if you can even call it that- seems to have eased the tension somewhat. Despite the fact that we still don't even know each other's names, it somehow makes it more comfortable as we sit side by side near each other. It's just feels like the vibe around is better now.

The flight attendants regularly check on us, but neither of us really request anything. Nita seems to be extra smiley around him, but his closed off demeanor doesn't change, not even around her.

Time flies as I get sucked back into my story, munching on my bag of pretzels as I read.

At one point, I realize he might want some too, and I don't even think twice before I hold the bag up to him without even glancing up from my book. After a moment, I think about retreating my arm and pulling the bag back, giving up on my friendly offer to share. But then I feel him reach inside and grab a small handful. I smile to myself just slightly, and refuse to let myself look up at him. But I can feel his eyes on me.

Not long after, I close my book, having finished it. I sit there and look at the cover for a moment, then look out the window to the cloudy sky, thinking about the story I just read. Koontz is a good writer, I've always thought that. But I'm especially enjoying this Odd Thomas series. My mind begins to wander and I space out for a bit.

I don't know how long I've been staring out the window, but then I hear his deep voice again, startling me from my stupor.

"Sorry, what?" I ask, since I didn't even hear what he had asked.

"Good book, huh?" He seems to repeat, holding up his now closed book, insinuating he just finished it as well.

"Oh yeah, I really liked the ending. I'm looking forward to the next one." I say, again surprised he's actually talking to me. And more so, that he initiated the conversation.

As I look at him now, not as shy now to look directly at his face and into his eyes as I was before, I see how he is even better looking up this close. His deep brown eyes, strong brow bone, nice white teeth, the sexy stubble on his jawline. But again, his mysteriousness and taste in books and music -which I could overhear since it was up so loud on his headphones, intrigues me further.

"I uh, sorry if I was rude earlier. I'm not great with introductions. And I don't particularly like flying. So the combination probably made me come off like a dick." He explains apologetically. Although his face still doesn't show a whole lot of emotion, I see the emotion in his eyes. His apology seems to be genuine, and he is making an effort to actually try and be friendly, which I appreciate.

"No worries, I figured as much." I say with a shrug, then realize how that probably didn't sound very nice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, I saw how tense you were when we took off, and you seem like a pretty closed off guy, since you haven't really talked to anyone." I try explaining, but I'm sure I'm just rambling now.

He chuckles and finishes off the drink in his hand, before releasing a breath and jutting his right hand in my direction.

"I'm Tobias Eaton by the way, but most people call me Four." He says and I seem to hold my breath as I reach out and shake his hand.

"I'm Beatrice Prior, but most people call me Tris." I say, introducing myself the similarly to how he had. I don't ask about his odd nickname, because I have a feeling he's not the type to want to explain it. Plus, I'll probably find out eventually if he'll be my co-worker.

He again offers me a small smile and then looks down at his empty clear plastic cup.

"Thanks for the pretzels too." He adds.

"No problem, I kind of raided the store and stocked up on snacks. If there is anything else you feel like, I've probably got it." I say with a small laugh.

"I think they're serving lunch soon, but I'll keep that in mind." He says with a small smile.

After a minute of comfortable silence, I decide to try and talk to him a bit further.

"So, what position do you hold at the new hotel?" I ask.

"Operations Manager. Mostly the computer side of things. You?" He asks.

"HR." I reply.

"Nice. Well, I'm glad most of our staff will have to get approved by you before they're hired onto the team." He says, then he seems to narrow his eyebrows and look back down at his table again, as if he isn't sure why he said that. It was a compliment, right?

"Do you know any of the others?" I ask, referring to our new crew on board.

"Just Eric, he was in charge of security at our hotel in Chicago." he says.

"Ah, I see. Yeah, he seems _really_ friendly." I say sarcastically.

This causes him to let out a small laugh, and it makes my heart speed up a little as for the the first time, I witness a real full smile on his face, which is really fucking adorable.

We somehow end up chatting for the next several hours, every so often getting interrupted by others. But eventually the others decide to leave us alone and we get back to chatting in between meals and moments of further comfortable silence.

We stay away from topics that divulge too much into our personal lives, since I can tell he's still not too keen on revealing too much about himself. But I tell him how I have a brother Caleb, and how I graduated from UCLA, with a major in English, since my passion is writing. He asks me more about that, and I tell him how I've specifically just been doing fictional short stories. But how I'd love to write a novel one day. Which leads us to the topic of the various books we like, and then onto our musical tastes. We get back on track about talking about work, and I tell him about Tori, and how got into the HR side of the hotel business and decided I really enjoyed it, and thought it might open some opportunities to travel, which has been a life long dream of mine.

I learn how he has one sister Tessa, and how he was born and raised in San Diego, but moved to Chicago when he was 18. He's lived there ever since he decided to take on this new job opportunity as well.

At one point, after he comes back from a trip to the bathroom, he sits across from me instead, so that we're sitting and sharing the table between us.

We notice some newspapers that were tucked into the side pocket of the seat, so we do the crossword puzzles together, which just emphasizes how smart he is, as he's extremely good at them. Once those are done, we chat as we draw mustaches and other doodles on the various faces of people throughout the newspaper.

We've talked about practically anything and everything, and have actually got to know each other pretty well, considering I just met him about 10 hours ago. I didn't exactly expect to have so much in common with him, or have such an easy connection to him. We haven't specifically been flirty with each other, it's remained friendly and appropriate. But sometimes the way he looks at me makes me blush. And on occasion, I almost think I do the same to him.

"Can I get you anything to drink Toby?" Nita asks him.

"Uh, it's Tobias, or Four. Not Toby." He says, looking at her, seemingly a bit frustrated that she's giving him a nickname when she doesn't even know him. "And I'll take another jack and coke." He says, handing her his empty cup.

"Okay, no problem." She seems fairly unfazed by his annoyed remark and keeps the smile plastered on her face. "And for you Beatrice?" She asks, turning her attention to me.

"I'll have a glass of red wine. Thanks."

"Okay, coming right up." She replies and saunters off to her drink station.

"Wine, huh?" Tobias asks with a quirked eyebrow. I realize how expressive he can be with his eyebrows, and it's just one more thing I find adorable about him.

But he's my co-worker, and probably has a girlfriend, so I need to stop thinking like that. I admit, I'd say maybe he even has a wife, but I've already snuck a glance for a wedding ring and didn't see one.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" I tease.

"Nah, it's fine. I just, actually wasn't sure if you're even old enough to drink." He says with a chuckle.

"Hey now, I'm old enough. I'm almost 25." I say with a small laugh. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not." I add.

Most girls _would_ take that as a compliment, being that a guy thinks she looks younger than she really is. But a part of me just lets my insecurities of being petite make me feel like he might see me as looking childish. I may be close to 5'7 in height now, but I'm still petite and not very curvy. Nothing like Nita or Lauren I notice, as they walk buy in their uniforms of skirts that come mid-thigh, black stockings and tucked-in button up shirts that are unbuttoned a bit lower than probably is appropriate, showing off their nice ample cleavage.

"I'm only teasing, you look great for your age. I mean, I guess I was thinking you could pass as a 20 or 21 year old, because of your nice skin and...but, I-" he starts to stumble of his words, and blushes as he tries to come up with something to say. By now I can tell he feels bad about his comment and knows he's probably just digging himself a bigger hole.

"It's okay, I'm not actually offended." I say as a give his leg s playfully kick under the table.

He seems a bit relieved, and offers me another apologetic smile, obviously hoping he didn't make too much of an ass of himself.

"Are you sure _you're_ old enough to drink?" I decide to tease back. "You're skin is pretty youthful too."

At this, he actually laughs out loud. And for some reason I feel proud of myself. Yet again, I made him laugh. I smile back, waiting to see if he'll actually tell me how old he is.

"Good one." he says. "No, I've been of-age for a while. I'm 28." He says to me with a smile as Nita returns with our drinks. Who seems to notice I'm the cause of his good mood, so she 'accidentally' spills a little bit of the red wine on my white blouse.

"Whoops, darnit. I'm so sorry. I'll go get you a little soda water for that." She says and although he words are apologetic, she obviously did it on purpose. As she walks away I roll my eyes and glance down at the stain, attempting to dab it with my napkin.

"Bitch." I hear Tobias say under his breath. I look at him and he offers a shrug and a small mischievous smile.

By the 12th hour in the air, many of our co-workers/passengers have decided to sleep. But the two of us decide to watch a movie instead.

"Want to, uh, come sit over here so that you can see better?" He asks, gesturing to the seat next to him as he tucks his bag below the seat in front of him.

"Sure, thanks." I say and unbuckle to go and sit next to him.

When I scoot past him to the window seat, our knees bump and then we hit a bit of turbulence, so I practically fall into him. But his hands come up to help brace me. When his hands make contact with my arms, it feels like a current of electricity goes through me, and causes my heart rate to speed up again.

"Sorry, thank you." I say, straightening myself up and taking the seat beside him, then buckling myself again.

"No worries. It seems like it's getting a bit stormy out there." He says, leaning past me slightly to look out the window.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a bumpy ride right now." I say, just as we hit some turbulence again. Shortly after, the seatbelt light comes back on. We're both already seated and buckled, as are most everyone else, since they're pretty much all sleeping.

But within the next hour, as we watch The Dark Knight on the pull-out screen in front of us, the weather progressively gets worse.

"Attention all passengers, this is your Captain, Amar speaking. We seem to be hitting some stormy weather up ahead, so we're going to feel a bit of an altitude change and a somewhat less direct route, as to avoid the eye of the storm. But we won't go too far off course, as to avoid too much fuel consumption. Please remain seated and buckled and hold onto your beverages as we will continue to feel a bit more turbulence." Amar's voice breaks through the intercom.

I see Tobias swallow thickly, as he obviously doesn't like the sound of that. He already doesn't like flying, and that doesn't sound like the best of news right now. But I can tell he tries remain calm and just watches the movie. As we hit more turbulence, and seem to drop quite a bit of altitude quite quickly, it seems to wake up most of the others.

Within in the next few moments, I watch the stormy dark clouds and the lightening throughout the sky. I've never felt too fearful of flying before, maybe even found it thrilling. But I'd be lying if I said this didn't freak me out a bit too. Then, suddenly I see a huge flash through the windows. Lightening seems to have actually hit the plane. It causes me and what I think was Christina and Marlene, to let out a small shriek and I feel Tobias take my hand in his. His fingers entwine with mine, and although I still somewhat feel that thrill of electricity at the contact, I more so just feel comforted, and a little more at ease. And I know that was his intention.

"Sorry about that folks, as you probably noticed, we have been struck by lightening. That's actually not too uncommon for aircraft, and jets are built to expect that every so often. However, we may be having a bit of trouble with one of our engines, so we're going to check for a safe place for an unexpected landing. Please remain in your seats and remain calm. I will keep you posted."

An unexpected landing? What the hell? We're over the fucking ocean! What's going on? Why is this happening? Tobias must notice me panicking, and although I can tell he isn't thrilled about this news either, he seems to be trying to stay calm for me. He just squeezes my hand a little more and looks at me earnestly.

"It will be okay. We'll be okay." He tells me, and for some reason I believe him. I don't know why, he is no expert. And this doesn't seem to be something even the pilot is keen about. But I hear his words and his calming voice, and I believe him. I give him a firm nod and squeeze his hand back.

The next few minutes seem to be a complete blur.

Amar is back on the overhead speaker, explaining we're now experiencing complete engine failure and will be making an emergency landing on the land they see below, which by the sound of it, is _not_ New Zealand.

I don't dare look out the window, but I can feel it as we descend fairly quickly, but the pilots seem to be steering the plane well, now that we're below the storm clouds and the wind gusts aren't as bad. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it feels like we're simply gracefully gliding through the air. Meanwhile, the oxygen masks drop down and even though I paid thorough attention to the instructions of the flight attendants before take off, my hands still fumble since they are shaking so bad. This is definitely the most scared I've ever been in my life. As I struggle with the oxygen mask, I feel large strong hands take it from me. Before he even bothers with his own, Tobias is placing my oxygen mask over my face for me. Once he's got it on, he does his own, then takes my hand in his again. I steal a glance behind me and see the scared faces of all our passengers. I make eye contact with Christina, and see she's holding hands with Marlene and Uriah. I'm reciting a string of prayers in my head as I look back to Tobias, who seems to be attempting to keep his breathing steady. But he's sweating bullets, just like me. Amar instructs us to brace for impact and Tobias watches me intently as he grips my hand like a vice. Not enough to hurt me, but enough to let me know he's got me, and he's not letting go. The last thing I see are his deep brown eyes staring right back into my own, and the last thing I hear, is him telling me to _Be Brave_, before everything goes black.

-/-/-/-


	2. Chapter 2

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or it's characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content (in later chapters). So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 2:**

***Day 1 on the island.***

**~Tris POV~**

"Tris. Tris, please wake up." I hear a voice say. It sounds kind of familiar, the voice is deep and masculine.

"Tris, we've landed. We're okay." The voice says urgently and I realize it belongs to Tobias. Which means, we've survived?

I then also start to hear voices of people murmuring in the seats behind us. I remember how nobody sat in front of us, except the pilots in the cockpit. After a moment of Tobias' pleading for me to wake up, and the feel of his hand on my face, I'm finally able to force my eyes to flutter open and the first thing I see are those deep brown eyes of his, full of concern.

Once my eyes meet his though, I see a flash of relief cross his face and he rubs his thumb on my cheek where he's cradling my face. The gesture would normally be so odd from someone I've known for less than a day, but we're both just obviously happy to still be alive. And plus, we have a unique connection with each other, I know we do.

"There you are." he says, the relief in his voice evident.

"Are you okay?" I ask, immediately concerned about him, as I have no idea the state he's in. My eyes widen more and they rake over his body to ensure he's got all his limbs attached and that he's not bleeding.

He almost shows a hint of a confused smile and an expression that almost makes it seem as if he's surprised that I asked him that.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. How do you feel? One of the overhead compartments popped open when we hit the ground and luggage starting flying everywhere, and one got you on the head. I think that's what knocked you out." he says, and I realize we're both still buckled in our seats, but he's leaning over me, and his other hand is holding something against my forehead. I pull away slightly to look, and notice it's his button up shirt he had been wearing. He must have pulled it off to stop the bleeding of my wound. Now he just wears his black undershirt.

I think about his question, when I notice my throbbing headache.

"I have a headache, but I think I'm okay. I assume it's bleeding?" I ask, confirming my suspicion about my forehead that's stinging terribly.

"Yeah, but it's not too bad. I don't think you'll need stitches." he says.

I attempt a slight nod and he takes a deep breath. He seems anxious and full of adrenaline of what just happened.

"Okay, well, we don't know if there is a fuel leak or anything, so we should really be getting off this plane." he says and he looks around. That's when I take a look out the window and all I see is sand, so I assume were on some sort of beach. I take in my surroundings more thoroughly and notice that the other side of the plane, closer to Tobias, is more up in the air. Which means it's not level on the ground. So he carefully removes his seatbelt and braces himself on the aisle side of the seat, to keep his balance. He instructs me to do the same, and helps pull me up into the aisle. We're able to stand upright, but we have to keep hold on the seats as we move to the back of the plane to check on the others.

They all seem to be awake and alert, but are also recovering from the crash landing. Many of them seem to just plain be in shock.

"Is anyone badly injured?" Tobias asks the rest of them, and they almost seem surprised to hear him speak.

He gets their attention well, as he speaks with authority, while obviously still being genuinely concerned.

"We all seem to be alive, which is what's important." Johanna replies.

Tobias nods and seems relieved of that news, as am I.

"I'll check on the pilots. But I think we should get off this plane right away. We should make sure it's safe to be on here before we gather bags and supplies." Tobias tells them.

"I agree." Harrison says.

Just then, the cockpit door opens.

Amar and Will both emerge from their quarters, obviously trying to remain calm like the rest of us are attempting. They both have a few cuts and bruises, but besides that they seem alright.

As the captain of the plane, Amar takes the lead in accounting for everyone. He double checks to make sure everyone is somewhat okay and have no life threatening injuries. Then it's quickly decided we need to evacuate the plane immediately, then tend to our wounds afterward.

So Amar and Will pull open the emergency exit door and the yellow inflatable slide pops open immediately. It doesn't quite reach the ground since the plane is somewhat on its side, but it's only a few feet of a drop after that. So shouldn't be too bad. Zeke and George offer to go first, stating they'll help the others safely to the ground. Will goes shortly after, so that he can start checking the safety of the plane, confirming no fuel leaks or fires. That way we'll know if we need to get as far away from it as possible, or if we can gather what's needed from it.

So after they've exited, Amar and Harrison stand at each side of the door, assisting everyone down the slide. Amar is counting everyone as they go, knowing we had 15 people on the plane to begin with. Meanwhile, Tobias and I open the second emergency exit, causing another emergency slide to pop open.

Will looks back up and shouts that everything about the plane seems okay, no leaks or fires. But that it's balancing on a rocky area of the shore, and could tip back flat to the ground any time. So whatever we do on here, we must work fast.

Tobias and I look out the open door and see a long beach, with no signs of life. So we decide we'll need any supplies we can get our hands on. With that being said, we start dropping down various things from the cabin of the plane down the second emergency slide. Lauren, _the non-bitchy flight attendant_, notices what we're doing and begins to help us. We send down the first-aid kits, various carry-on bags, the crates of food and beverages, the airline provided blankets and pillows, even the magazines and newspapers, we shove into a garbage bag and send down. Anything else we think will be useful, we grab. But we try to move quickly, in case the plane were to jerk and settle back into place, which could easily injure us.

I glance down below and notice that everyone else has made their way down. I see some of the less injured people, such as Christina, Will, Zeke and Uriah, are forming a line to pass each other the supplies and pile them up out of the way.

Amar sends Harrison down, then encourages us to go. He had assigned Lauren and Will to check on everyone's injuries, while he says he's going to go back to the cockpit to try and get any radio transmission.

So as he requested, we head down the slide to the sandy beach below.

As I take in my surroundings, the giant jet that is still smoking from its engines, the trees it took down and flattened in its path as it barreled to the ground. The sandy beach that goes for at least a few miles before it curves out of sight. As I glance around at everyone, it's really incredible to see how everyone is staying fairly calm and collected and just getting into immediate survival mode, participating in doing what needs to get done. Although it's probably because we're all in shock and our bodies are just moving to do what's needed out of instinct, and our brains aren't quite catching up with reality yet.

Everyone now just seems focused on trying to walk around nearby to get cell phone reception. But I do notice Nita sitting and crying, complaining her arm hurts and she thinks it's broken. And I notice Eric has left the group and is walking down the shore, seemingly scoping out where we are. Hopefully looking for any hint of civilization, or someone, anyone, to call for help.

I think back to the words I heard Tobias say before we landed. _Be brave._

I look at him and see him snatching up the first aid kits. I take one from his hands and he catches my gaze for a moment. But we both come to the realization that we have more important things to do than stare at each other, so he heads toward Johanna who is saying she feels dizzy and her head hurts. I have a feeling she might have a concussion, hopefully nothing worse.

I decide to head to Nita. The last person I want to be helping out of this group, but she seems to be the next most injured, and I'm not so immature that I won't help her. She's still human.

"I'm no doctor, but if you think it's broken, you need to keep it still. So I'm going to splint and sling it, okay?" I say to her. She quiets her sobs for a moment and nods, wincing already at the anticipated pain even though I haven't even touched her yet. After making my best guesses accessing her arm, I grab the scarf from around her neck and I fold it and proceed to figure out how to make her a temporary sling. I try to remember how my dad showed me many years ago. He's a retired firefighter, so he always taught me random things like that growing up. Especially when my brother and I would goof off and get hurt. Like when we both fell out of the treehouse. I think about my brother and I have to bite my lip to continue concentrating and not get wrapped up in my emotions right now.

After helping her, I go to Harrison, who is finally admitting to the pain in his shoulder. I help remove his shirt, and find a pretty big gash there. So I clean the wound and bandage it up well. He's tough and acts like it's no big deal, but I can tell it's painful. I give him a small Advil packet out of the kit as well, along with a bottle of water.

As everyone helps each other with their various injuries, which thankfully don't seem to be too bad considering the situation, I see that everyone is being tended to. I make a full circle, seeing if anyone else could possibly use my assistance, but I just end up coming face to face with Tobias again.

"Sit, let's get you cleaned up too." he says, and I do so. Plopping down cross legged onto the sand. He crouches down next to me and grabs some stuff out of the first aid kit.

"This might sting a little." he says. I nod, prepared for it. But I still wince and suck in a breath when the cool antiseptic cloth hits the cut skin, stinging more than I expected.

"I'm sorry." he whispers apologetically. I can tell that he doesn't like that he's hurting me.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." I say as he puts the butterfly bandage over it. Then I notice his hand has a big bloody gash on the top.

"You're hurt too." I say, grabbing his wrist to examine his hand.

"It's not that bad." he says.

"Whatever. Give me that." I say, pointing to the first aid kit that sits behind him. With a sigh, he hands it to me, and I return the treatment of cleaning the wound.

"I think the cart hit it as it slid down the aisle. Probably the same one that slammed into Nita's arm." he says, watching as I wrap his hand up. Then I move on to clean up another smaller cut on his elbow, and one near his eyebrow.

"Any other cuts or aches and pains on you?" he asks.

"Just a light headache, and I'm a bit sore on my hip here." I say, lifting my now very dirty white blouse to reveal a few inches of my bare hip, just above my jeans. I'm expecting to see some lightly red and irritated skin, but instead, I see a huge purple and blue bruise.

He sucks in a breath slightly and scowls as he tentatively reaches out and brushes his thumb across it so slightly I almost think I imagined he actually made the contact.

"Must have been where the seatbelt held you in your seat." He says, and I'm sure he's right. It would just about be where it was strapped around my waist.

"Yikes, that's a nasty bruise." I hear Christina say as she approaches us. I look up and she offers me a sad smile. I stand and we both go in for a hug.

"How are you?" I ask into her hair, not having seen any injuries on her.

"Good in comparison to the rest of you. Shaken up of course. But otherwise, I just got a split lip since I somehow bit down on it when we hit." she says, and then I notice her bottom lip is a little swollen, but thankfully it doesn't seem too bad.

"That's good." I say and just then, Will comes up to see how we're doing. But he goes to Christina first, and seems quite concerned for her well-being. I inwardly almost smile to myself because I somehow let my mind briefly think about what a cute couple they would be together. But this is not the time nor place to have those sort of thoughts.

For a couple minutes, the four us chat about the crash, and Will explains a bit more from what was going on up front. But we're soon interrupted by the voice of Amar.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?"

Everyone turns to look at him.

"Please, everyone take a seat and gather your bearings and take a breath as I explain our current situation.

Then for what seems like half an hour, he proceeds to explain what had happened, as many weren't even sure since they were asleep when he made his intercom announcements just before the crash. He explains how he and Will were having issues with the power once the lightening struck. The GPS, radios and receivers all started flickering until they died, without being able to send a mayday call. That's when one engine went out, shortly followed by the next, until they just had to use their own techniques and good sight to spot a place to try and land as safely as possible. They saw a small patch of sandy land as we descended, and saw it was the only one in sight, so they took their chances. It obviously paid off considering we're all alive, but as I look to my right and see the aircraft half in the rocks and sand, and half in the thick greenery of palms and other shrubbery, it amazes me how they managed it at all. If the plane had gone another few hundred yards, it would be immersed in the ocean.

Amar continues to explain how they honestly don't know where we are, but according to their calculations of how they got off course, we're probably on a small uninhabited island south east of New Zealand. He explains that we've recovered pretty much all the stuff that we could from the main cabin of the plane, and to keep a clear distance from it as it settles and rests in place. He explains how we have yet to have any luck with radio communication, cell phones, etc. So he requests that we stay together as a group in general, but as we get situated with our surroundings, that we group up and take on some various tasks. We all agree and he starts to list off what people should work on. We all seem more than happy to respect him as our captain, even though we're not on the plane. We're happy he got us to land safely, and confident that he'll be good at taking charge and giving direction. So we follow his requests without question.

He pulls a piece of paper from the breast pocket of his jacket and it appears to be a list of all the passengers we had on board.

"There were 15 people onboard that jet, myself included. I will name them all off as a formal introduction, so that we can make sure all are accounted for at all times, and so that everyone is reminded of who is who." he says and we nod in agreement. It seems to be a roll call of sorts. As he reads through the names, we raise our hands in acknowledgement.

Amar

Will

Lauren

Nita

Harrison

Johanna

George

Eric

Al

Zeke

Uriah

Marlene

Tris

Christina

Tobias

"Although we're no longer on the aircraft, as Captain, I still consider it my responsibility to get you home safely. So please, follow my direction, work as a team, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me know." Again, we nod in agreement,

"In the meantime, we don't fully know the circumstances of our situation. Obviously we will try to get rescued sooner rather than later, but we have to prepare for the worst and assume we may be here for a longer stay than we'd like. This place isn't exactly on the grid, so to speak. So with that being said, I'd like to group everyone up and assign tasks." He takes a breath and looks around at all of us, seemingly planning everything in his head.

"Well, first off- Nita, Johanna and Harrison- you seem to have the most severe injuries. So please stay put and rest up here on the beach, and be our lookout. Keep your eyes and ears on alert for any aircraft or watercraft. Shout and get our attention if you see any signs, but also, hang onto one of these flare guns." He says, handing a red flare gun to Harrison.

Harrison nods in acknowledgement, and then Amar looks to where three others stand off to the left. "Al, Uriah, Marlene- you look like you've been camping before, you're in charge of gathering fire wood. Look for the dry stuff, anything we can build a fire with. While you're up there, keep an eye out for any sources of fresh water. Once you return, there should be a pack of safety matches in that yellow bag, but we have a limited supply, so try and make it count the first time when you're ready to light it. Obviously, the sooner the better." They nod and head to do as requested.

"Eric and George, you guys get to unload the lower portion of the plane with our luggage. Will is going to help you get the compartments opened before he helps me further with trying to get some radio signal or cell phones with service."

Eric almost rolls his eyes, but he turns around anyway, going towards the plane to carry out his task. Followed by Will and George.

"Okay, who's good at organizing?" he asks the rest of us and both Christina and Lauren's hands instantly go up.

"Alright, Christina and Lauren, you're in charge of supplies. The guys will lay out the suitcases and everyone can grab their own later. But gather all the food and drinks we have, from the on-flight food, as well as anything anyone had in their carry-on bags. Organize what you find, as we should plan on having to ration it. You can also organize all the other supplies we've grabbed." Both girls agree and head over to the big pile of supplies we had recovered from the plane.

Then Amar looks at the three of us that remain.

"Tobias, Zeke and Tris- you get to gather supplies and get started on shelter. As mentioned, we're not sure how long we'll be here. And it will get dark quicker than we expect, so we need shelter for the night. So please decide where would be best to set-up and what would be best to build it with. I'd suggest we stay on the beach, but close to the shoreline by the trees. Try to make an educated guess with how far the high tide gets. We have at least one tarp, that we should probably use for a main covered area to cover the food and supplies. But with 15 of us, we'll probably need at least 3-4 little huts, with some sort of protection from the elements. If we make 3-4 of them, then they can sleep 3-4 people each, leaving a couple people to stay up to keep-watch. We'll take turns. Anyway, feel free to look around for whatever supplies would be helpful, just be creative. Maybe there are large palms in there or bamboo in there that might help." he says, gesturing to the tropical looking forest just beyond the sandy beach.

"Alright, will do." Tobias says.

"Please know, Will and I are doing what we can to call for help, but again, in this situation- we need to hope for the best, but plan for the worst." Amar says and offers us a small smile. "Thank you for your help, you're a good team. It's important that we all stay calm, be strong and keep up the good teamwork if we want to make it off this island."

We thank him and head off to start on the shelters.

We gather a couple tarps as he had mentioned would likely be in the lower part of the jet. We gather anything and everything else we can find to build a makeshift shelter for the night. Amar had mentioned it could easily rain or get stormy, despite the warm temperature. So we should try to be covered from that if possible.

Zeke, Tobias and I make a good team, and the two guys seem to hit it off right away, getting along well and making the best of our situation. Which is good, we need companionship in times like this.

It takes much longer than any of us expected, but after almost 5 hours, we have 4 fairly well built 'huts' as we're calling them. We also made somewhat of a separate lean-to style hut for the supplies. They all look a bit ridiculous, with tarps, branches, leaves, even garbage bags and pillow cases here and there. But they should do okay for now.

We grab the thin blankets that the jet typically carried for each passenger, and settled them into the huts, along with the little white fluffy 12 inch cushion that the jet provided as a pore excuses for a pillow.

We go to where Lauren and Christina are organizing supplies, and get anything that illuminates. We have 1 lantern, and about 5 flashlights. Not including the little flashlights and stuff on our key rings, cell phones, etc. So we disperse those throughout the huts as well.

Meanwhile, all the suitcases are laid out. Al, Uriah, and Marlene have a fairly good sized bon fire going and have stacked more firewood nearby to add to it as needed.

They've since proceeded to draw out a giant SOS in the sand, and are filling the area in with rocks to be more visible from afar.

As the sun begins to set, and the heat is finally somewhat dying down, we gather in a circle near the fire.

With the food piled up, it looks to be less than I had thought we'd have, at least considering there are 15 of us to eat. But it could be worse. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

We decide to eat what will spoil the quickest. So Lauren and Christina disperse the little plastic trays that have sections filled with scrambled eggs, two small pancakes, a couple pieces of sausage and a piece of toast with a little foil covered pad of butter and packet of maple syrup. It's what we were going to be served for breakfast not long after we had to make this abrupt and unplanned landing. We also pass around bottled waters and drinks, just 1 per person. But even then, we try to conserve them the best we can.

Tobias sits next to me on my right eating his food, Christina is on my other side. Will is between them. We make a small semi-circle, slightly further away from the others.

We make small talk, but it's mostly quiet. It seems to be kind of sinking in for all of us that we're actually staying here, alone, on this beach tonight. There has been no luck with communicating our emergency, and no sign of life. Eric and George have since done a little bit of exploring to try and find some, but it was decided as it started to get dark, that we should all just stick it out together here on the beach tonight.

Zeke, Uriah and Marlene join us shortly after and we casually all talk for a while. But we're all pretty exhausted.

People start slowly making their way to the huts to call it a night. I volunteer for the first round to keep watch, Tobias immediately states he will too. I'm a bit surprised he volunteered so quickly, after hearing me do so first. But I won't complain. I admit, I like his company. And I feel comforted and safe in his presence.

It's determined that everyone will take turns keeping watch, 2 people at a time, for 2 hours each. Then we go wake up the next two people assigned to rotate, and so on.

I go sit a bit further down the sandy bank, close to the water, but not to where it reaches me.

After a couple minutes, I feel myself start to really take in everything that's happened. It's a bit unfathomable to be honest. I feel like I'll just wake up from a terrible dream at any moment. But the slight stinging of my forehead wound, the thumping of my headache, and the sore muscles of my body, tell me that this is, unfortunately, real. Very real.

Then I hear the occasional cry or sob coming from the huts, seemingly just from the girls. But I know the guys aren't exactly keen on what's transpired either. I have yet to actually cry, but as I sit here and look out to the crashing waves, then up to the night sky above us, filled with more stars than I've ever seen in my life, I can't help but feel my eyes well up with tears. But they don't fall. I don't let them. I just dig my nails into my palms, as I would do occasionally do growing up to keep myself from crying. I don't know why, but I feel like I just need to stick it out and be tough, somehow I feel like it boosts my confidence that we can do this, that it's all going to be okay. Whereas if I cry and succumb to the vulnerability, admitting to myself that this is a terrible disaster and we may not all make it, then I'll feel like I've just given up and I don't know if I'll be able to snap out of it. I need to be optimistic, not pessimistic. But I can't help but think of what our future may hold. And what my family must be thinking, since I haven't called to inform them I've arrived safely. Then it dawns on me that they've probably heard about the plane has gone missing, no doubt crashed, at least due to lack of fuel by now since it hasn't landed anywhere that anyone is aware of. How likely is it we'd somehow land safely on a deserted island? I'm sure most people wouldn't suspect that as a feasible option. But none the less, I assume people are looking for us. But it seems that we're literally in the middle of nowhere. What if they're too late? What if they just assume we're dead and give up the search? My brain goes into overdrive as these thoughts invade my mind and fog up any coherent thoughts.

But a few minutes later, Tobias comes and sits beside me.

He doesn't say anything, just sits beside me, leaving several inches between us.

My tears remain unshed, but threaten to spill over. I feel him look over at me and right when I look back at him, the tears immediately fall from my eyes. And I can see in the way he looks at me, that he sees my true sadness and worry. I can't hold it back, a silent sobs escapes me as he wraps an arm around me and I cry into his chest.

I don't know how long we sit there, but he just holds me. We're still silent, but he comforts me as I cling to his t-shirt and bury my face into his shoulder.

After a while, I calm down and I turn myself slightly, to look out to the deep blue sea again. But his arm remains around me and I stay somewhat still tucked into his side, enjoying the warmth and safety of being in his arms.

"Thank you." I whisper.

"Of course. Anytime." he says. Then a moment later, continues to speak quietly. "It's okay to cry ya know. You're still strong and brave, I can already tell that much about you. But you can still cry. Everybody cries." he says.

"I know, I just didn't want to give in." I say.

"So you're stubborn too, huh?" he says, trying to lighten the mood and I snort slightly with a small laugh, but I sniffle after from my residual tears.

Great, even under the circumstances of our situation, I manage to embarrass myself. First I cry all over this guy's shirt and then snort with my laughter before having to blow my nose. Real appealing. Not that it should matter in a time like this, but I can't help but be conscious of it. He has an effect on me that I've never felt before.

"You were awesome today." he says.

"I don't know if I'd say that." I say.

"You helped others when they were hurt, even Nita. I don't know if she'd have done that for you." he says, rubbing up and down slightly on my shoulder, a natural thing for one person consoling another. But it feels soothing, comforting and genuine, not pitying or uncomfortable. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if he's feeling the same emotions as me, but just hides it better. But for some reason he just seems concerned with comforting me instead of himself. One may not see his selflessness right away, but it's just another layer to Tobias that I've learned about in the past day and a half.

Over the second hour sitting out on the sand, we just continue to look out upon the vast ocean, and every so often up to the dark night sky. Watching for any signs of life, but finding none.

Occasionally we'll point out constellations in the sky, or make small talk. But it's never much. It's mostly just silence, besides the rustle of the trees in the wind, or the steady sound of the waves crashing ashore.

By the time Tobias glances at his watch again, he says our shift of keeping-watch is over. So we get up and I decide to grab a hoodie sweatshirt from my suitcase, along with my purse, and carry-on bag. Tobias also gets a sweatshirt and his carry-on bag. Then we rouse up Al and Lauren, who have second watch. They wake without trouble and attempt to offer us tired smiles as we swap places.

We make our way into the hut next to a still-sleeping Will and Christina. They're huddled fairly close together for warmth, and I think Tobias gets the same idea as he settles in behind me as I lay on my side, finding it to be the most comfortable position since we're essentially laying on sand as our bed. He keeps his distance, especially with his lower half. Seemingly not wanting to make me uncomfortable or over step boundaries. Plus,mid I'm honest with myself, he probably just wouldn't want to be that close to me like that.

I involuntarily shiver as a breeze passes through the small opening of the shelter, so I pull the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. But then another breeze flits by and I shiver again. I can't help it, this blanket doesn't do much, and I didn't bother to change or put on more layers. I just took my shoes off and put my sweatshirt on, I didn't think it'd get much colder. I contemplate getting up to add more layers of clothing, but then I feel Tobias' arm go around me, almost protectively. In doing so, he's bringing his upper half closer to me, so that I feel his firm and inviting chest against my back. I immediately feel warmer and more at ease.

"Is this okay?" he whispers faintly. I just nod and put my hand over his where it rests on the tablecloth that we have underneath us, to be used as a floor. I feel his body relax slightly.

As I lay and try to fall asleep, I think how much this morning's events have turned my life upside down and I have no idea what tomorrow holds. But just before I doze off, I can't help another tiny thought in the back of my brain...Tobias could be huddled up with any other girl here, but by some dumb luck, he's huddled up with _me_.

**-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**There's Chapter 2! What did you think?**

**I was surprisingly able to get it posted a bit sooner than usual. As you may know, I'm usually only able to update a new chapter about once per week. But I got this done a bit ahead of time as a surprise, since my first Chapter got SO many wonderful reviews! Way more than I expected! I was actually a bit nervous posting this new story, unsure of the reactions it would get. But I'm glad I did, what an awesome turnout! Thank you so very much!**

**Chapter 3 will most likely be up this weekend. (Which will be from Tobias' POV!)**

**In the meantime, feel free to check out my Tumblr for the picture collage that I envision correlating with this chapter. I'll post it later tonight. As well as more picture collages to go with all the earlier chapters of my other story, "New Life In Portland".**

**(My Tumblr Username: madisonr1129)**

**Last but not least, thank you Ractre1127 for proofreading! You rock!**

**P.S. As you'll see by the list of who was on the flight, I decided to mix it up a little. So any characters you may have wished were apart it, will likely have more minor roles later on, such as Shauna. But my usual/favorite coupling will eventually occur (Four/Tris, Will/Christina, Zeke/Shauna, Uriah/Marlene). Also, to those of you who noticed the different eye colors of Four and Tris, I decided to go the route of Theo and Shailene's eye color instead. **

**:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content (in later chapters). So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**Chapter 3:**

***Day 2 on the island.***

**~Tobias POV~**

I wake to the voices of others, not far off in the distance. Their not-so-hushed whispers rile me from my slumber, causing my eyes to flutter open and I release a heavy sigh when I realize where I am. The sun is shining through the cracks of the twigs and plants above me, reminding me of the reality that is my life. At least for a few hours I was able to drift off to a peaceful dreamless sleep, escaping the actuality of our situation. Which is that it's our second day stranded on an island, no other life or civilization anywhere that we're aware of.

But as my foggy brain continues to awaken, I remember that not all is that bad. I have to remind myself of my motto that's gotten me through life so far- _It could be worse_.

After all, I lay on my back, with a girl named Tris cradled protectively in my arms. She is snuggled up to my chest, her head resting in the crook of my arm, her even breathing currently so calm and peaceful. Her right arm is slung around my waist, so casual, one might see us and think we've slept alongside one another like this on numerous occasions. But that wouldn't be the truth. In reality, we were tossed into a situation almost unbelievable. And somehow, that brought me and this unique girl even closer together.

When I first saw her waiting for her coffee at the airport Starbucks, I honestly didn't think I'd ever see her again. At the time, I had no clue she'd be on my flight, let alone working for the same company as me, and would be planning on working just a couple of offices down from mine as the HR Manager. I just briefly admired her unique effortless beauty as she texted on her phone, waiting for her drink. Then I continued on.

But after hitting the bathroom and the store for a snickers bar, I stepped into the jets waiting lounge and I saw her sitting there concentrating on the book in her lap. I couldn't help the small amount of hope nagging in the back of my mind, that maybe I'd find an opportunity to talk to her. But of course, being me, I wouldn't acknowledge that part of my brain. I brushed it off and took a seat in the corner, by myself. I'm good at being independent and quiet. It's who I am.

Then Eric had to walk in, the most annoying guy I've ever had the misfortune of working with. Thankfully he obviously feels the same of me, as he gives me an annoyed look and takes a seat in the opposite corner, happily minding his own business. I steal one more quick glance at the girl, before going back to my phone to check my emails before it's time to turn my phone off.

Having her try and talk to me on the flight was both exhilarating and amusing, all at once.

Originally it felt like pestering, as I don't like being interrupted when I obviously don't want to be bothered. I just wanted to read, listen to my music, and get the 16 hour flight over with. Plus, I didn't know what to say to her, and I hate awkward silence.

But once I saw those beautiful eyes looking back at me, it was hard to concentrate on anything else. Were they brown? Green? Gray? Blue? They somehow looked like all three, intermixed. But being Tobias "Four" Eaton, I got confused and perplexed, therefore closed off and back to my usual asshole mode.

But the shy smile she offered at trying to make conversation, and the pink tint on her cheeks, softened my heart a bit. I appreciated her casual nature, her shyness and her attempt at genuine friendliness. Unlike the fake, annoying, petty girls who often try to talk to me. She was obviously trying her best to break the ice. We were going to be co-workers after all. But due to my attitude, she was getting more flustered and nervous, but remained determined. I don't witness that often, especially since she exudes some sense of shyness and confidence at the same time. It's an odd mixture. Thus, my amusement of the situation.

None the less, she broke me down. And I admit, she definitely intrigued me, beyond just her good looks. So I apologized and tried to be friendly. Thankfully she responded well and didn't let my attitude bother her, and she didn't end up being overly pushy, which honestly would have made me uncomfortable.

As the flight went on, I met a few more people, who actually weren't too bad. I was glad we have a fairly good team lined up to run the new hotel. But what really surprised me, was that this girl Tris, was actually pretty awesome. More so than I expected. Her personality seemed to be as fascinating as her outer beauty. I guess what it came down to, is that I didn't expect such a hot chick to be so funny, smart or just so damn fun to hang out with. I was too quick to judge, and I shouldn't have been.

Although I knew it'd be unprofessional for me to be attracted to her or consider anything with her, I'd be lying if I said those thoughts didn't filter through my brain regularly by the 12 hour mark of being on that plane with her. Not that she'd necessarily be interested, but a guy could hope, right? _No, _I had to remind myself. She was going to be my co-worker, and if I wanted to be successful in my career, I needed to concentrate on work and be professional with fellow staff. Plus, I _don't_ flirt. So, I was determined to keep it casual and professional.

But then we heard that intercom speaker come alive yet again, and Amar's voice telling us to brace ourselves for a crash landing, and that's when my heart plummeted. This amazing girl couldn't die. I wouldn't allow it. Why did this have to happen? Much to my surprise, I've gotten to know this girl pretty we'll over the past however many hours, and it's been incredible. This amazing, wonderful girl, and now we're just going to die? In those last moments before we hit, I really wasn't sure that we would make it. But I was determined to try. And I knew I had to stay strong for her, be there for her. And if we happen to make it to the ground safely, I knew I'd do anything in my power to keep her alive and well.

I'm pulled back from my recent memories at the feel of Tris rousing awake. I look down at her and I feel her body stretch a little, but she settles back in to my chest more comfortably just a second later, really snuggling in, and I see the faintest of smiles cross her lips. Which I find myself staring at longer than I should be.

Her eyes slowly flutter open a few moments later, and she just smiles up at me for a second, almost as if she hasn't fully awoken yet. I offer her a smile back none the less, and I catch her eyes look down at my lips, seemingly admiring them. Could she possibly feel something towards me too?

All too soon, she seems to come to the realization that she's awake and snuggling up against me. Her eyes widen a little and she pulls away, flopping onto her back instead. But because my arm was around her, it remains under her neck still, like a pillow. The blush on her cheeks shows she's a little embarrassed, but it's endearing and makes me smile slightly again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I got so...comfortable." she whispers, even though we're the only two in this little hut right now.

"No need to apologize." I say. I think about saying something else, but not sure what. _I liked it? Please snuggle more? And somehow I slept really good last night beside you?_

She goes to say something, but then we hear the increased volume of the conversation of the others, and by the tone of voices being used, it sounds like an argument or debate of some sort. She looks at me worriedly as she sits up. I sit up too and we head out to see what's going on.

We approach the small group, which seems to currently consist of Amar, Will, Christina, Nita, Eric, George and Harrison.

"I'm telling you, we need to get off our asses and figure out if anyone else is on this fucking island." Eric says with Nita standing beside him, as if she's 'on his side' of the argument.

"I understand that you feel the need to see what's out there, but we need to stick together as a group. Splitting up into small groups of one or two people is not a good idea in our situation. And we don't have a way to travel with much food or water, and were already limited on supplies." Amar says.

"Plus, we need to give our search and rescue crews some benefit of the doubt, I'm sure they're looking for us, right? And they're most likely to see us if we're on the beach." Christina chimes in, looking to Will for confirmation and he nods.

"I can't believe you guys just want to sit here and wait for nothing! Nobody is coming!" Eric shouts.

"And this might be our only shot at survival!" Nita adds in agreement. As we approach the arguing group, the others start to gather around too, and the quarrel just increases from there.

Amar just shakes his head and starts to pace, seemingly tired of this conversation all together, as the bickering back and forth continues without him. Zeke, Uriah, Marlene, Tris and I stand nearby, but don't indulge in our opinions. As we see it's useless right now with nobody hearing heavy other out. Well, we don't at first. But then, much to my surprise, Tris pulls her hand to her mouth to whistle loudly, in order to get everyone's attention.

Everyone snaps their heads in her direction, where she now stands on a log, making her a couple feet taller.

"Enough!" she says exasperated. "Okay, first off- arguing isn't going to solve our problems. So just shut it for a few minutes." she says, taking a breath before continuing. I see her fists are clenched and she breaths a little heavier than usual. She's clearly frustrated.

"We're obviously stuck here on this beach and have no idea where we are. I'm no survival expert, but I do know that Captain Amar got us here safely and he's absolutely right when he says we need to stick together as a team if we want to make this work. And we shouldn't be mouthing off to him, just making stupid irrational decisions without talking it out to see what everyone else thinks. And he did save our fucking lives after all." she says, eyes glaring directly at Eric and Nita. Who glare back, but still seem surprised by her speech and particular bold remark to them. But she doesn't seem to care as she continues. "I think we need stay calm and respectful, we need to think logically and compromise on a plan, maybe even take a vote." She pauses as people nod in agreement. Still, everyone remains quiet as she speaks, somehow with much more authority than one would guess, especially by her petite size and obvious shy nature. Eric and Nita remain standing there, looking annoyed. But they still listen in and wait to see the reactions of the rest of us. "I think we can all agree that there are pros and cons to both sides of this argument, of whether we should stay here on the beach, or go searching further into the island. But either way, I don't think we should split up into several small groups. If anything, we should maybe split up into two groups. One group stays here to keep watch and keep the fire going, to be an obvious focal point if and when the search crews make their way to look for us here. The other group can gather backpacks and some supplies, and go searching for help. And if we don't find any, we could at least be looking for more food and water. What do you say?" she asks us all.

I am somehow both surprised and unsurprised at her sudden impulse to step up and take the reins of the conversation. But I do know that I'm impressed. Not only is she smart and have the right idea as to what we should do, but she has calmed everyone down enough to finally talk civilly.

"All in favor of splitting into two groups, one staying here, one searching out there." Amar says pointing towards the fairly dense looking tropical jungle. He then raises his hand in vote of this idea.

I immediately raise my arm to vote for this idea as well, followed by everyone else except Eric and Nita.

"Do either of you have a better suggestion?" Tris asks them, and they look at each other to determine what to suggest.

"I still think we should split into several smaller groups. The more ground we cover, the better." Eric says, as if it's obvious.

"That may be, if we were all survival experts. But we aren't." Amar says, trying his best to remind him of this without getting too annoyed.

"Fine! You all split into two groups, and Nita and I will go off on our own." Eric says, which surprises us, and even Nita. She looks around unsure, then looks at me, as if I might suggest otherwise. But I don't.

"I really don't encourage it, but if that's really what you want to do, I can't stop you." Amar says.

"Good." Eric replies.

"Alright, that's the plan then. But we need to decide who is staying, and who's leaving. And _when_ they're leaving. I don't think anyone should leave until morning. Maybe get up early and go around sunrise. That way you have a full day of light to make progress, and enough time to prepare a shelter and fire."

"I agree." Will says. Everyone nods in agreement.

"I think it's only fair we all get to pick whether we stay here or go." Amar says. "Will?" He asks, looking to his co-pilot.

"I'll go searching. I was a boy scout, I think I can manage pretty well out there." Will replies.

"Alright, since my co-pilot is going, I'll stay here. That way one of us is with each group." Amar says.

"Who else?" Amar asks the rest of us. "Step up."

"I think I'll stay here if that's alright, I don't think I'm the best hiker, and I'm still not feeling great." Johanna says, walking over to stand next to Amar.

"With my injured shoulder, I should probably stay here too." Harrison says, from where he already sits on the other side of Amar.

"And I get really bad asthma, and only have my one inhaler. So I'll stay here too." Al says, holding his inhaler in his hand.

"I'd like to go. I love hiking, and I've camped all my life, so think I can help manage out there pretty well." Tris says, going to stand next to Will. She looks across at me, with almost a pleading look. As if she's hoping I'll volunteer to go as well. But I can tell she's trying not to make it obvious, because I already know she would think it would be too selfish to ask me to go if I didn't want to.

"Me too." I say without hesitating, going to stand beside her. She offers me a questioning look, as if asking "Are you sure?". I smile and nod at her and she looks down at the ground with a slight smile.

"Me too." Christina says, going to stand on the other side of Will. She and Tris share a small smile as George speaks up.

"I'm good at fishing, so I'd rather stay near the water." George says.

"Me too, I'm honestly, a little scared to go." Lauren says in almost a whisper. Slightly embarrassed, she says "So yeah, I want to stay on the beach." She goes and stands next to Al.

"I'm too anxious to sit still, so I can't stay here. I'll go." Zeke says, taking a couple steps to stand near me.

"Me too, got to stick with my brother." Uriah says, joining us as well.

"I'll go with you guys, I'll get bored here too." Marlene says.

"Alright, that's everyone, so it's settled. Johanna, Harrison, George, Al, Lauren and I will stay here with the plane and keep the fire going. Will, Tris, Tobias, Christina, Zeke, Uriah and Marlene, you'll go see who or what you can find." Amar says, nodding to us in acknowledgement. "Eric and Nita, I guess you're on your own if that's what you really want. But I still suggest you go with them or stay with us." He says with a sigh.

"Thanks for the advice." Eric says and walks away. Nita hangs back with us, standing there awkwardly for a moment. "I'm going to think about it." she says, then turns to walk away too.

"Thank you Tris." Amar says to her. "For shutting us up and getting us to focus."

"No worries. I just couldn't take it anymore." she admits with a shrug.

"Well, I'd say you guys should take the afternoon to pack, plan and relax before you head out in the morning. Who knows, maybe someone will find us before then. But it's best to be prepared." Amar says with a sad, yet hopeful smile. Everyone agrees and disperses.

"That was pretty awesome." Christina says to Tris as we walk back towards the huts we made. Tris just shrugs again.

"Yeah, you can really pipe up when you want to, huh?" Zeke says with a chuckle.

After our group gathers back closer to the huts, we pull out our bags and line up various supplies that would be helpful. We end up spending about two hours gathering stuff and packing, making somewhat of a plan for our excursion. Once that's all done, we decide to take it easy and rest up since we feel it will be quite a trek tomorrow.

At some point, we evaluate our food ration and decide to gather around and have some airline sandwiches. And someone had a bag of potato chips, so we pass it around. But it only provides about 2 chips per person.

After we eat, Will says he's going to go play with the radio a bit more, in hopes of getting it working. Zeke and Uriah stand up and begin to throw a wad of clean socks back and forth like a football, while Marlene decides she wants a nap. I remain sitting with Tris and Christina.

"Okay, well I'm going to go attempt to bathe and change clothes, I feel gross." Christina says, looking out towards the water.

"Yeah, me too. I feel all gross and sweaty, especially now that it's getting hot again." Tris says. Just before we ate, we both removed our sweatshirts as the sun began to beat down on us. It's surprising how hot it gets during the day, and how cold it gets a night.

Tris looks up at me shyly as she heads over to her suitcase and grabs out what appears to be a bag of toiletries and a change of clothes.

I like the idea of cleaning up a bit in the water and changing too, but decide to let her and Christina do their thing first, giving them some privacy. So I stand and join Zeke and Uriah in tossing the socks back and forth. At least it's something to pass the time, and these guys aren't actually too bad to hang out with. In fact, I think even in another circumstance, I might still even be friends with them. Which is saying something considering how independent I often am.

I hear Tris behind me, asking Christina to stand and cover the opening of the hut as she changes into a bathing suit. Then after a minute, I hear Christina shushing Tris, assuring her she looks fine, more than fine, and that nobody's even paying attention. Christina proceeds to laugh as she reminds Tris that we're at a beach after all, so wearing a bathing suit is perfectly acceptable to wear in front of others.

A moment later, both of them walk by us wearing bikinis. I try my hardest to keep my jaw from dropping at the sight of Tris walking by me, revealing so much of her soft beautiful looking skin. Revealing her sexy long slender legs, her perfect stomach, and a tattoo of some ravens on her collar bone. And of course it just confirms even more how perfect her chest is, and as she walks by, how perfect her ass is as well. Tris' bikini isn't as skimpy as Christina's, but damn does she look good in it. And I like that it's fairly modest. I like that she's shy to reveal herself so much in front of everyone. I don't care for girls who flaunt their bodies and show them off to try and get attention.

The girls shuffle by, heading towards the water with their toiletries bags, towels and a pile of clothing. Tris avoids eye contact with me, just mumbles something about them checking out the water. Then before I know it, I'm watching as they're stepping into the crystal blue water.

I'm brought back from reality by the feel of the roll of socks hitting me in the face and Zeke and Uriah chuckling.

I fight the blush on my cheeks and just pick up the roll of socks and throw it back to Zeke, a bit harder than usual.

"_Someone's_ got the hots for Tris Prior." he replies before tossing it to Uriah.

"Shut up." I reply, catching it from Uriah.

My lips quirk up slightly though as they continue to tease me like a bunch of teenagers, and try to assure me she seems to have the 'hots for me' too, as they refer to it.

I try not to look back out at Tris, I really do. But my eyes betray me and I look up anyway. She is leaning her head back in the water, seemingly rinsing out shampoo or conditioner from her hair. Christina seems to be nearby doing the same, chatting her up. But I barely notice that because my eyes zone in and I take in the sexiness of how the water glistens off Tris' breasts and waist as she arches her back to submerge her hair. All the while, she seems to be holding back laughter at whatever Christina is saying. Which just makes her even more adorable and sexy to me.

Fuck, what is wrong with me? Why am I thinking all this?

Once again, I'm broken from my reverie, but this time, by the sound of another female voice. Much to my annoyance, it's Nita. She stands there in jean shorts and the sweater she was wearing earlier, but she's got the sweater part of the way off. Just her left arm is out of the sleeve.

"Sorry, Tobias? This is really embarrassing, but my arm sling is in the way and I can't really move my arm at _all_. Do you mind helping me take this off the rest of the way?" she asks. And although she _said_ it's embarrassing, she sure doesn't seem embarrassed as she stands in front Zeke, Uriah and I with her bare midriff showing and her bra peeking out as the sweater sits on her shoulder. Not to mention everyone else, even if they're not this close to her.

"Uh, can't you ask Marlene or something?" I say, not knowing if I should help her or not. I don't want to, but I guess a small part of me feels kind of bad she has a broken arm.

"She's asleep, and everyone else is busy. Just, c'mon, it'll only take a second. It's so hot out here, I just need to put on a T-shirt instead of this sweater." She says, attempting a sad and distraught facial expression.

"Fine." I say, and I grab the sweater and help pull it over her head, careful of her arm as I completely remove it for her. I'm successful at not letting my fingers touch her skin and avert my eyes from her the whole time. But out of my peripheral vision, I can tell she's still standing next to me, in just her bra.

"Thank you, she says, placing her hand on my bicep. But I tug it away.

"No problem." I say, turning fully back towards Zeke and Uriah, who skillfully keep up their game of toss without even looking, because they're both looking at me with raised eyebrows.

"Here, I brought you this too." she says, coming back in front of me, still just in her bra. She hands me a bottle of sunscreen. "Don't want you to burn out here." she says.

"Ok, thanks." I say, hoping to just get rid of her already.

"Want any help putting it on?" she asks.

"No. Please leave us alone now." I say. She sighs and looks down at her feet sadly before walking away.

Zeke and Uriah stifle a laugh, obviously ready to tease me again. But I glare at them, so they thankfully withhold their immature comments. I then glance back at Tris, who is now paying Christina no attention as she just looks straight back at me from the water. A faint scowl is on her face, but her expression looks blank. I don't really know what the look means, but I'd guess she's mad. Or sad. Or both. This causes my own brow to furrow back into a scowl, because I don't want her to be mad or sad.

"Dude, Tris looked like she wanted to break Nita's _other _arm during that whole charade." Zeke says with a small laugh as he pats my shoulder walking by towards his little makeshift sleep area. Uriah pats my shoulder as he passes me too, and I just sigh and rub the back of my neck, a bad habit when I'm uneasy or annoyed.

I decide to head back to the little hut I stayed in as well, reapplying some deodorant and changing my clothes when I get in there. Then I simply lay back for a few minutes to recuperate from my odd feelings, which I can't seem to sort out in my own head. They roam from thoughts about what Zeke said... was Tris annoyed or jealous of Nita in some way? If so, does that mean she might like me? Then my brain tries to remind itself that she's still a co-worker, and that we're co-workers stuck on a deserted island. Then my mind starts to think about our situation, how we might end up being found, how long it may be until we are, what tomorrow holds for us as we venture into further unknown territory.

Yet again, I'm buried in my own thoughts. This time, I'm broken from my reverie as Tris barrels into the hut, not realizing I was already in there laid out on the ground.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't know you were in here." she says falling onto me slightly. "I was just grabbing my book." she adds, grabbing the next book of the Koontz series and holding it up. I see that her hair is wet and brushed out and she smells like passion fruit and lavender, mixed with the ocean. It's completely intoxicating. Also, she seems to still have her bathing suit on, but she's wearing shorts and a loose white tank top over it. She looks so cute, that I simply catch myself staring at her for a moment without responding to what she said.

"Anyway, I'll see you around." she says awkwardly at my silence and goes to turn away and leave.

"Wait!" I say, finally getting words to escape my mouth as I sit up. She stops and looks back at me. "I uh, would you mind if I joined you? We could go find a quiet spot and read it together. I mean, we're at the same spot in the series anyway." I say rubbing the back of my neck again. "But if you'd rather read alone, I totally understand." I try explaining. Kind of feeling like an idiot for being nervous to ask her something as silly as this. It's just asking a friend to go and sit and read.

"No, I'd like that. C'mon." she says and the hint of a smile on her face doesn't go unnoticed. Which causes me to instinctively offer a small smile back. Once again, we seem to settle back into our comfortable nature around one another. I grab my sunglasses and a big beach towel and we head off a small ways from the group.

As we pass Nita and Lauren who are sitting together, Nita looks inquisitive. "Where are you two going?" she asks.

"Don't worry about it." I reply without hesitation, continuing our path towards a rocky area near the shore.

I notice Tris bite her bottom lip as she tries to hold back a smile at my comment to Nita. Even if I know I can't or shouldn't be romantically involved with Tris, I feel the need to make sure she knows I'm NOT interested in Nita, or anyone else for that matter. Plus, I've already learned that Nita just needs to be told straight up, it's the only way to get through to her.

I feel Nita's eyes boring into our backs as we continue our walk, but neither of us turn back.

"She seems particularly fond of you." Tris says as we climb the rocky area.

We decided to stay visible as we don't want to stray too far from the others, but it's nice to have some time alone away from most of them. At least for me, who is not used to being around this many people all the time. I'd much rather hang out with just Tris.

"Maybe. But honestly, she's just annoying." I say as we settle onto a larger rock and spread the towel out and sit side by side on it. "I tried being friendly, because of her broken arm and all. But I just don't know how much longer I can do it." I add.

Tris chuckles and looks out at the incredibly beautiful and vast ocean in front of us.

"Thanks for keeping me good company." I decide to say, hoping she gets the hint that I like hanging out with her in particular.

"Of course, I like good company too." she says, nudging my shoulder with hers playfully, which causes me to smile. "But I'm warning you, I'm a fast reader. You think you can keep up?" she asks, eyebrows raised, a small smile creeping on her lips.

"I can." I say with a serious and confident nod. She chuckles and opens the book on her lap as I grin at her.

Am I really grinning? I guess I am. But seeing her big smile seems to be contagious, I can't help it.

"Okay then, here we go." She turns to the first page. "Chapter 1."

I watch her mouth as she begins to read the beginning of the book. I take in the sight of her luscious sexy lips that I keep imagining pressing mine to. And the sound of her beautiful voice, as she reads the words at a perfect pace. Fast, but clear, and with just the right amount of enthusiasm.

For the next couple of hours, she reads chapter after chapter. But after a while, she says she needs to give her voice a rest, and hands the book to me, asking me to take over. So then I read to her.

She ends up turning and laying on her back, staring up at the sky. But her head is towards the sea, so she's facing me. Her soft silky looking hair is fanned out beneath her, and her long smooth tanned legs are right next to my arm, as her knees are propped up. I can tell she has no idea what she does to me, even just the way she lays beside me has an effect on me.

Every so often, I feel her watching me. But most of the time she's looking up into the sky or simply closing her eyes and listening.

At some point we're introduced to a new character in the book, and for some reason I give him a weird accent, which I admit, sounds very odd coming from me. She lets out a laugh, and it causes me to stop my reading aloud and look up at her. The sun shines down on her skin and onto her sparkly white teeth as she continues to laugh silently, her hands covering her eyes. I mark the page and close the book, setting it beside me.

"Are you laughing at me?" I ask, poking her side with my index finger, feigning anger.

"Yeah. What was that accent?" she asks, lifting her hands from her eyes slightly to look up at me.

"It's what he sounds like." I explain, as if it's obvious.

"I seriously think it was somehow a mixture of Boston, British and Australian. Which is impressive, but not how he would sound." she says, trying to hold back from laughing at me further.

"Hey, if you don't like my reading style, you can read the book yourself!" I tease, giving her knees a playful shove, making them flop to the side momentarily. I don't know why I did that, it was almost flirty of me. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the contact of my fingers on her skin. And I catch her biting her lip again, which isn't helping matters.

"You're so fucking beautiful."

I didn't mean for those words to spill from my mouth, but by the surprised look on her face, I believe I did indeed say them out loud.

"What?" she asks confused, as if she didn't hear me correctly.

"Well, I didn't exactly mean to say that out loud." I say with a nervous chuckle, looking down at my lap, before looking back up at her, straight into those big intriguing eyes. "But it's true. You're really beautiful Tris." I admit again. Hopefully she'll just take the compliment even if it's brushing our boundaries as friends. I'm crossing my fingers that she won't kick me in the groin or get all awkward and stop talking to me. Either way, I can tell she's not used to getting complimented, and/or still isn't used to how to react to them.

She blushes and keeps worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she looks up at the sky again, obviously deep in thought, and not knowing what to say. But again, the hint of a smile threatens to take over her face.

"Geez, check out that sunset." I say helping her change the subject as I look up towards the water before us, the beautiful pink and purple hues of the sunset making for quite a spectacle.

She gives me a shy smile and sits up, turns around to face the water too, and admires the sunset.

"Yeah it is." she agrees.

We sit there for couple minutes in comfortable silence, watching the sun slowly descend below the horizon, of what looks like endless ocean.

She ends up leaning her head on my shoulder as we remain sitting side by side.

My hand that sits in my lap, daringly reaches out and takes hers. Entwining her fingers with mine and feeling her squeeze them back is so thrilling, that I have to force myself not to grin like an idiot. Thankfully I'm able to contain it mostly, just sporting a small pleased smile. One that matches hers.

**-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**WOW! My goodness, you readers are awesome! I officially have over 100 reviews and favorites, amongst a ton of follows. I seriously can't thank you enough for the support. You're really motivating me to keep up on the consistant chapter writing and get more excited to update, since I have such amazing feedback. So thank you! Also, a****s always, thank you to my awesome pal, Ractre1127 for all your help!**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 4 which will most likely be posted next weekend. Will it be in Tris' POV? Or Tobias' POV? I haven't decided yet. But I do know they'll be setting off for their trek to try and find help, food and water. **

**For those of you who've read my other story, "New Life In Portland", the epilogue will be posted on it soon (sometime in the next few days). **

**Also, feel free to come check me out on Tumblr (madisonr1129) for picture collages to go with these chapters! **

**:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content (in later chapters). So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**Chapter 4:**

***Day 3 on the island.***

**~Tris POV~**

"Good morning everyone." Amar greets as he walks over to us where we are double checking our packed bags. I have my backpack and my long strapped purse which I can wear slung crossed over my shoulder. The rest of our group each has a backpack and/or shoulder bag too. They're packed with clothes and other necessities, as well as first aid supplies, bottled water and food. Tobias also has a duffle bag that we'll take turns carrying. It includes a few blankets, a couple tarps and a single rope. We've also got other important items spread amongst us, like a couple flash lights, about 15 matches for fire, sunscreen, a single small pocket knife and one of the flare guns.

We greet Amar back through our yawns and begin to line up to chat before we go on our trek. It's got to be around 5am or 6am, and although we got to bed fairly early, we're all still quite tired. Plus, even though I slept in Tobias' arms again last night, which was amazing, the ground is only so comfortable on my back. So my body is already aching and we haven't even began the day. I'm sure the others feel the same way, but none of us whine much.

"I appreciate you all volunteering to go, and I appreciate that you're up so early to get a good head start for the day. Now please remember everything I told you..." he begins, and we all listen intently as he encourages us to think smart, plan ahead for food, water and shelter. Also, what to look for, how to mark our trail so that we can find our way back. His pep talk is not new information, but it's still encouraging. It's nice that he's optimistic about our abilities and his support almost feels like he's cheering us on. It makes for good morale.

We continue to gather our stuff and I notice Al approach me. He's the only one awake besides Amar and those of us who've decided to go on this expedition. I'm currently by myself, off to the side rolling up my blanket. He seems happy about that, as if he wants to speak to me privately.

"Hey Tris." he says shyly, hands in his pockets, looking down towards his feet.

"Hey Al, you're up early." I reply in a friendly manner.

"Yeah, I was just uh, thinking...you know, you don't have to go if you don't want to. You shouldn't feel obligated. I'm sure they'll do just fine if you were to hang back here with us." he says fairly quickly, almost nervously, as if he just wanted to get it out in a rush. I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that he'd come here and say this. It feels like it's coming out of nowhere.

"Thanks Al, I appreciate your concern. But I'd really like to go." I reply, still trying to just be friendly and not hurt his feelings, even though I see his shoulders slump slightly.

"Are you sure? It's probably going to be dangerous out there." he says, stepping closer to me. For some reason I instinctively take a step back, as it's odd how his hand reached out for me when he got closer to me. He and I have barely spoken to each other before, and now he's trying to look out for me specifically? Get me to stay behind? Does he see me as being that weak? I'm not sure of his intentions.

"Yes, I'm sure. And there are 7 of us going, we'll look out for each other. We'll be fine. You just keep everyone's morale up around here until we get back, okay?" I request of him, patting his shoulder as I go to walk by. But he leans in and gives me a quick hug.

"Alright, good luck then Tris. Hopefully I'll see you soon." he says, then let's go. I had given him a somewhat awkward hug back, a tight smile, then grabbed my rolled up blanket and bags and headed towards my group. As I approach them, I see Tobias is gathering his bags too, but remains staring at the ground, brows slightly furrowed and jaw slightly clenched. Is he upset? Or nervous to go? I can't help but wonder what he's thinking right now. Did he see that awkward exchange between Al and me?

Finally, as the sun begins to make its way more predominantly over of the horizon, shining beautiful yellow-orange hews across the sky, everyone is ready to go. So we decide to bid our goodbyes and begin the journey to look for civilization. Or at least for food and water, and whatever else may help us survive on that beach for an extended period of time, if need be.

We're all in a few layers of clothing since it's quite cold out still. I'm in jeans, a plain white v-neck T-shirt, black lightweight sweatshirt and my olive colored jacket. My long hair is in ponytail to keep it out of my face.

"Everyone ready?" Will asks.

"Lead the way Cap'n." Christina says to Will with a small smile, gesturing with her hand towards the inner island. He looks back at us with a nod and leads the way. Christina follows behind him, then Marlene, then Uriah, then Zeke, then me, then Tobias. We slowly and carefully hike single file into the tropical foliage, the opposite direction of the crystal blue ocean behind us. The scenery is amazing and if we weren't stuck here by obligation and in the mindset of survival, this would actually seem like a pretty awesome vacation destination.

We don't say much, so it's fairly quiet besides the occasional breeze or sound of bugs and birds. The people up in front occasionally point out small obstacles to be aware of on our path; a bit of a drop in the ground, a low slung tree branch to avoid, muddy areas, and so on.

It seems that we're all taking in the beautiful surroundings as we go. Admiring the lush greenery, the tall palm trees and the various wild flowers that seem so foreign to us. We're all going about the same pace, keeping together well as a group. But at some point, Zeke begins to gently break the silence, humming a tune.

"Is that Weezer?" Tobias asks. Zeke looks back and grins over his shoulder at him.

"Yeah, good guess man." he says. "I've had their song 'Island in the Sun' stuck in my head since sunrise."

"You good at music trivia?" Uriah asks Tobias, who shrugs in response, even though they're not looking, still focused on trekking ahead. "I guess." he replies.

Zeke begins to hum another tune then, more clearly testing us now as a game of sorts.

"Sweet Home Alabama." Tobias says after just a few seconds.

"Damn, you're quick." Christina tells Tobias and we all chuckle.

"My turn." Uriah says, beginning to hum a song. Which sounds like it could be the Star-Spangled Banner mixed with Mariah Carey.

"Sorry, you're not as good at this man." Zeke says to Uriah with a chuckle after we all remained in silence after apparently humming almost the whole song. None of us had a clue as to what the song was.

"C'mon, that was obviously Beyonce." Uriah explains.

"Ohh...I kind of hear it now, I see what you mean." Marlene says and the rest of us laugh. Uriah smiles at her proudly that she got it.

"Your turn Tris." Uriah says.

I think for a moment, then begin to hum a song that comes to mind, one I think will be fairly recognizable.

"Barracuda, by Heart." Tobias says. I nod and reach back with my hand, inviting him for a high-five. He reciprocates the high-five and I smile to myself.

"You should be on a game show or something." Marlene says to Tobias.

"Let's see how he does the other way around. You're up Four." Zeke encourages Tobias, using his nickname I notice, the first time. It seems they're getting more comfortable and acquainted with each other as friends, it's cute.

Tobias then begins to take his turn, and I'm instantly attracted to the hum of his voice. Deep, sexy, clear and in-tune. I bet he's a great singer. Damn, why am I so drawn to everything about him?

"Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin?" I ask and look back at him briefly. He has an adorable smile on his face as he looks back at me and says "Yep, good job."

I almost trip over a vine, but thankfully I catch myself. I immediately feel the flush on my cheeks as a slight embarrassment fills me that he distracted me so much with that smile. He didn't do it intentionally, by I'm fairly sure he knows he did by the small smile that continued to play upon on his lips when he looked at the ground. Obviously trying not to point out my obvious slip-up.

We continue to play that game for a while, then lead into the casual conversation about random bands we like. Over the next few hours, we hike and hike. Occasionally stopping for a break. Along the way, we end up getting to know each other a little bit better.

It turns out we're all in our 20's, all have quite a bit in common, and make pretty good friends with each other. We learn that Zeke is married to a woman named Shauna, and find out that his brother Uriah is a few years younger than him. Marlene mentions she's single too, but nobody else mentions their relationship status, as we somehow segue into the topic of what we've done over the summer so far. But the curiosity is killing me thinking about how Tobias might have a girlfriend. He hasn't mentioned one, but he isn't exactly the most outgoing guy, even around me. Which us saying something, considering he seems to talk to me the most. I know I shouldn't care one way or another, but my brain keeps stressing about it anyway.

"Alright, this is crazy. It feels like we've been hiking forever, and it's still just this dense jungle. My legs feel like jello." Christina says.

"I know, I really thought we'd come across something by now, just these big rocks or occasional clearings." Will says. "Watch out for this big tree branch." he adds.

We climb over a log, then duck under a few branches, just following the route he takes. After all, there aren't any trails or anything to follow. So we just keep slowly make our way up a hill in a single file line.

As Zeke pushes one branch out of the way, he accidentally lets it go too harshly without realizing it and it flings back and hits me on the cheek, down by my jaw.

"Ouch!" I say under my breath instinctively say as it hits, stinging the skin like a little whip.

"You okay?" Tobias asks, apparently having seen it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, brushing it off to not worry anyone.

We continue on into the later afternoon. It's taken us much longer than expected to make progress. Not only because the hike is uphill, therefore causes us to go slower in pace as we constantly watch our footing, but also because our tiredness is seriously sinking in and our muscles are growing even more sore.

"Okay, I think we should go ahead and set up shelter." Will says.

"Yeah, it'll get dark quicker than we think." Tobias agrees.

"And my body needs rest." Marlene chimes in and Uriah agrees.

"Should we look around here and see what we can find?" Zeke asks.

"Yeah, there's lots of ferns over here. Would make fairly good bedding." Tobias points out.

He starts grabbing some and everyone else starts grabbing anything they see that they think will be of use.

I wander around, looking but not seeing anything that looks particularly appealing. Until I come across something I was not expecting, but very happy to find.

"Hey guys, check this out!" I shout to them, pushing some branches and plants out of the way to uncover the opening of a cave in the side of a huge rock.

"What is it Tris?" Christina asks as she approaches.

"A cave." Zeke answers for me before I have a chance, as he leans over my shoulder to see inside.

"Do you think it's safe? It would obviously be a great shelter." Christina says.

"I think it's sturdy, it seems like this has been here quite a while. No falling rocks or anything around the perimeter." Will says.

"It's perfect. But first we need to check inside for any signs that an animal has been living in it. I doubt it though, since small islands like this rarely have any mammals." Tobias says, coming up behind me.

"I don't want to go in first." Christina says scrunching up her nose.

"Afraid of the dark?" Uriah teases.

"No, I just don't know what's in there. I guess it's impossible to have bears or whatever. But what if there are bugs, bats or snakes or something?" she replies.

"It's okay, I'll go." Will says, offering a comforting smile to Christina.

"Me too." Tobias says and they flip on the two flashlights we have and go to head inside.

But for some reason I grab Tobias' jacket sleeve, causing him to look back at me in confusion for a moment. "Be careful." I whisper.

He smiles with a small nod, gives my hand a gentle squeeze and turns in to follow Will. The rest of us wait anxiously at the opening, watching them descend into the darkness, just seeing the strips of light from their flashlights. I now wish I had gone with them, but it's too late to consider that.

"You guys think this is the safest place to sleep?" Marlene asks us as we continue to watch into the utter darkness, waiting for the two guys.

"Probably. We would be shielded from the elements." Uriah says.

"Yeah, our altitude is much higher than last night, which means we'll be much colder." I add.

Before Christina can speak, we see the flashlights bobbing back into view. Will and Tobias are talking casually, their occasional laughs echoing through the narrow space.

"Well?" Christina asks them as the approach and I look specifically to Tobias to see what he says.

"It's clear." Tobias says.

"Yeah, it curves around the left there, probably goes back a few hundred yards. But there is even one spot with a big opening overhead, almost like a sky light. Would be a perfect spot for a small campfire. The smoke can just escape out the top." Will explains as if he and Tobias have already discussed it.

"Alright, awesome. Let's get some firewood and some rocks to surround it." Zeke suggests and turns to start doing exactly that.

We spend the next hour getting the fire started, then gather ferns and other springy plants to put down as a bed of sorts. We bring in all our supplies and make a cozy little space to make camp for the night. Maybe longer, if we don't find much else tomorrow.

After we get settled, we sit down to eat _dinner,_ which consists of some fruit that the plane had stocked, some crackers and some jerky. We try to limit the jerky since it's so salty and will just make us thirstier, and we're still limited on water. We'll definitely have to seek that out tomorrow.

As it starts to get dark, we decide we better take turns keeping watch again like we did last night. It's decided that we'll do that from the mouth of the cave. That way we somewhat stand guard of the entrance and can still easily watch out for planes or any signs of life. So we build another small campfire at the entrance, using the flame from the other one so as not to waste another match.

Knowing that I won't be able to fall asleep right away anyway, I volunteer for the first stretch and Tobias says he will go with me. I won't deny that I am quite pleased he again volunteered to accompany me. Christina gives me a knowing look and a wink. I almost think I see the same exchange between Zeke and Tobias, but I'm sure I must be mistaken.

Tobias and I get settled, sitting cross legged at the edge of the cave, looking out towards the island greenery before us.

After a few minutes, I decide to make small talk so that I can learn more about him.

"Favorite color?" I ask.

He chuckles at the abrupt random question, but then seems to think about his answer, catching on that I want to play the question game.

"Mmm...Blue. Dark blue, I guess." he replies.

"How long have you been writing?" he asks. I'm a bit surprised he remembered that I like to write.

"Well, besides school work...I guess since I was 14?" I say, trying to remember if that's correct.

"What's the last movie you saw?" I ask.

"Memento." he says.

"Oh wait, no. Anchorman, the first one." he says. "My buddies Logan and Edward brought over some beer and we watched both of those movies the night before I left." he says, a somewhat sad look on his face. Probably at the thought of remembering the last thing he did with someone he knows before he got himself stuck in this situation.

"Last concert you went to?" he asks me.

"Rogue Wave." I say. "My friend Ciara and I went to see them a few weeks ago. They played at a really small place for only $20 a ticket. It was awesome." I say, smiling at the memory. But I can't help the sinking feeling at the thought that I may never see Ciara again. Or at least until I do, she's probably super worried that I'm missing. Or maybe she just assumed I'm probably thinks I'm dead. Who knows what the authorities have told the public about us.

"So, what made you decide to take the leap and accept a job in New Zealand?" I ask, trying to change the subject so not to let myself get upset and cry again over missing my friends and family. But I'm hoping I'm not overstepping any boundaries by asking him such a personal question.

He looks at me with a small smirk, studying me, his eyes narrowing pensively, but he doesn't say anything. He seems kind of surprised I asked that. And possibly contemplating whether or not he wants to answer it.

"Well, it sounded appealing. It was a promotion and a unique opportunity to live somewhere new. But there was also some drama with family, back where I live in Chicago." he begins, and it seems like he might continue to explain further, so I don't say anything. "My dad...well, my dad and I don't have the best of relationships. And he wouldn't stop bugging me about quitting and working for his company instead. But I didn't want to get involved with him, his corporation and all the bullshit that goes with it. They're pretty shady. I have a fairly good hunch of what he's involved with and I just don't want any part of it." he explains.

"I'm sure you're amazing at your job... but why was he so adamant at you working for him?" I ask, not being able to help my curiosity.

"He didn't seem to like that I had such good suspicions about him and his ways. And knows I won't lie to help his cover. Anytime the government would come question me, I'd be honest with my answers. So I think he wanted me to join in his shenanigans, so that he could control me and I'd be less inclined to spill the truth."

"Oh." I say. Suddenly worried about what he's implying, what his dad might do if he were to actually get involved. What would the consequences be?

"Yep. I just wanted to escape and start fresh. And I've always wanted to travel. New Zealand sounded awesome." he says.

"What about other family?" I ask, remembering he had mentioned something about a sister.

"My mom and sister were kind of bummed that I made this decision, but were ultimately happy for me. They still live in San Diego. Thankfully they're none the wiser about my dad. So they're safe. He and my mom divorced when I was 17 and they don't really keep in touch." he says.

"What about you?" he asks, turning the conversation to be on me. "I mean you kind of explained back on the plane. But anything else? About your decision to move so far?"

"Similar to you in a sense, I guess. Well, I didn't exactly have it bad in LA. But I felt kind of...stuck. I've always dreamed of traveling the world, but could never afford it. So I started saving while working for Jim. But then I learned there may be opportunities at other resort locations, therefore, an easy and inexpensive way to travel. I felt a little guilty leaving my parents, my brother, and my few close friends. But ultimately, just felt like I needed to find myself. Be free and explore what's out there. Ya know?" I ask. He looks at me with a sweet smile and nods.

"If we ever get off this island, I still want to travel the world. If anything, I'm more determined now. Life's too short to pass up big adventures like that." I add. Not sure why I feel the need to express these sudden strong feelings.

"I absolutely agree. And we WILL get off this island. So you better start making your itinerary about where you want to go first." he says and I chuckle.

We sit there in silence again for a few minutes, he stokes the fire with a long stick.

"So, no girlfriend at home?" I blurt out, squeezing my eyelids tightly together after saying it. What an idiot. Why would I bluntly ask that? I must really be tired, as I'm obviously not thinking clearly.

He looks at me again and smirks. "No." he replies.

I nod slowly and bite my lip as I toss a pebble into the fire to distract myself, not knowing what to say next.

"I'd have mentioned that." he says, and I look back up at him after he speaks those words. I guess I want to determine if he seems genuine. But of course he is.

"Wait, do you have a boyfriend?" he asks, suddenly having a curious look upon his face.

I can't help but chuckle at the adorable expression he's making.

"No." I reply. "Haven't had one in a while." I add.

I swear I feel like I almost see a hint of a smile as he gets out his water bottle and takes a sip. He offers it to me and I accept, taking a small sip of my own. For some reason I get a little bit of a thrill at the idea that we just shared a water bottle. My mouth touched where his did. How stupid am I? _We're trying to survive on a deserted island Tris, of course were bound to share the same mouth piece at some point. _I try to remind myself.

I continue looking off into the distance, but I feel him looking at me. When I look back at him, he shies away and looks at the fire again.

But when he looks back up at me again, I realize I'm still staring. Our eyes lock and we smile a little at each other. The fire flickering on his tanned skin, shows off the stubble that is coming in on his face and the sparkle in his eyes. It dawns on me that my heart rate definitely picks up when under his gaze like this. He's so attractive and fun, and it's pretty amazing when we are just hanging out alone like this. But under his attention like this, I get anxious. Torn between wanting to jump up and kiss him, or shy away because he's bound to make me do something stupid like that, and he'd probably push me away. It'd be super awkward.

His eyes suddenly latch onto my opposite cheek, as if he just noticed something was there.

"Hey, that branch really got you hard." he says, bringing his hand to my chin gently to turn my face to get a better look. "It's a pretty good scrape. I should probably get the first aid kit." he adds.

"No, don't worry about it, I'm fine. I don't even feel it." I assure him. He looks at me for a moment, to try and make sure I'm being truthful and not just downplaying it.

Then he starts to lean in. I'm not sure why he does so at first. But then at the last moment, I think he might be leaning in to _kiss_ me. Is this for real? During the last second when he's inches from my face, he tilts his head to kiss the scrape on my lower cheek, just above my left jaw bone. However, I didn't anticipate that. No, like a dumbass, I thought he was going for my lips. So my head instinctively turned slightly and tried to catch his lips with mine. At the confused movement of our faces, he still gets my cheek, but it's dangerously close to the corner of my mouth. I got him about the same spot on his face back. Even though the brief exchange was incredible, I'm horrified. How could I misinterpret that?

"I'm sorry, I didn't- I didn't realize what you were doing. I thought you were, I mean, not that you'd want to- but I just..." I try to find the words to explain as I gaze back at the fire and fiddle with the drawstrings of my jacket, attempting to apologize for making a fool of myself. He went to kiss a small wound on my cheek, a simple friendly kind gesture. Instead, I jumped the gun and went to kiss him straight on those gorgeous enticing lips. Idiot! I shake my head to try and gather my thoughts. "You know what- just pretend I didn't do that." I add. I let out a small chuckle, but it comes our awkward and nervous, my voice even cracks a little. I swallow the lump in my throat and try to will the redness that's probably creeping up my neck from embarrassment. I'm sure I'm as red as a tomato.

"What if I don't want to?" he asks.

"Huh?" My head snaps back up to look straight at him. I don't think I heard him correctly. Or I'm hallucinating. He looks back at me seriously, but a small smile grows and his gaze goes from my eyes, down to my lips, then back to my eyes again.

"What if I don't want to pretend that didn't happen? What if I liked it?" he asks. And I have to swallow thickly again, not really knowing what to do or say, even though my heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest. Is he serious? It seems impossible that a guy like him, would want to kiss _me_.

But his hand reaches up and cradles my unhurt cheek.

"I really want to kiss you. Here." he states as his thumb reaches out and rubs gently on my lips, which are parted slightly in awe.

"Okay." I say before I can think twice about my response.

Then he leans in slowly again, but this time it's much more obvious where his sweet lips are headed. They land on mine gracefully, gently, like a feather at first. He just merely brushes them together, so much that it almost tickles. Then he adds more pressure and his lips mould with mine. I don't hesitate to reciprocate, my hands tentatively reaching out to brace themselves on the ground as we remain leaning towards each other, mouths beautifully connected. The kiss is slow, as if we're waiting for the other to pull away. But we don't.

He kisses me slowly, and coaxes my mouth open as he begins sliding his tongue in so it dances with my own. I take in the softness of his lips, the incredible masculine smell of him, the feel of his strong hand on my face as the other reaches for my waist, where it settles on my hip.

I end up lifting an arm to reach to the back of his head where I instinctively grasp at his hair towards the nape of his neck, and tilt my head a bit more to deepen the kiss. I hear him let out a small moan at the gesture.

But unfortunately we eventually have to pull away for air. We rest our foreheads together for a moment, then my nervousness takes over and I pull away slightly and look down at my lap shyly, but I can't stop the smile that forms on my face.

I decide to peek a quick glance at him and he's looking forward, at nothing in particular, also smiling to himself.

I shiver, but I can't tell if it's from the biting cold, or from the look on his face when he turns his head sideways to look at me.

He senses the shiver and decided to act on it. He gets up and readjusts himself so that he's leaning his back on the side of the cave and spreads his legs out in front of him. He pats the spot next to him, implying for me to join him.

"C'mere." he says as he opens his backpack and pulls out a blanket.

I get up and sit beside him, my legs spread out beside his. He lays the blanket so it's covering us both. Then puts his arm out, inviting me to lean on his chest. I smile shyly and snuggle in, similar to how I had woken up these past couple mornings. Even though we're still pretty much sitting up to 'keep watch', it's a bit cozier and warmer now that I'm up against him. His toned chest is firm, but warm and inviting. His arm around me makes the butterflies in my stomach flutter even more crazily. But it's more comforting than I ever thought I would feel in a guy's arms.

I don't know what that kiss meant. I don't know if we'll do it again, although I definitely want to. I don't know if it was just out of sheer comfort for one another because of our situation, or if he possible feels the inkling of the feelings that I might have for him. I don't know if he even liked it. Although I guess his smile and open arms are a fairly good sign.

Either way, I know that was by far, the best kiss _I've_ ever had. And it was with _Tobias Eaton_. The guy that I already felt like I could fall for. It just added fuel to the fire, so to speak.

We sit there for a while in comfortable silence. Staring out the cave into the unknown. Eventually I feel my eyes start to droop, despite how hard I try to keep them open. I'm exhausted.

"Get some rest Tris, I'll be right here." he says, giving my arm a little comforting rub as he kisses the top of my head.

It's like I can't even think twice. At his words, my eyes close completely and I drift off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content (in later chapters). So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**Chapter 5:**

***Day 4 on the island***

**~Tris POV~**

I wake up to the feel of movements in my hair. As the grogginess from my sleep wears off, I realize a _hand_ is running through my hair. It starts at my scalp and runs down the strands to the very tips of my dark blonde locks. I instantly know the feel is Tobias' touch, and it's beyond comfortable and calming. But all too soon, I'm startled from my peacefulness by a brief shout of pain.

"Fuck!" I hear a guy's voice exclaim under his breath.

My eyes shoot open and the first thing I see is Uriah hobbling on one bare foot, holding his other with his hand as if he'd stubbed it.

"Geez, you okay man?" Zeke asks as he comes up to behind his brother, trying not to laugh at his clumsiness.

"Yeah, I just stepped out of the cave to pee and on my way back in, I stubbed my big toe on this fucking rock." Uriah explains.

"Well, that's why you shouldn't walk around barefoot." Zeke reminds him with a shake of his head.

"I can't sleep with shoes on, it's too weird." Uriah explains as he inspects the hurt toe, and apparently seems to think it's okay, because he stands back up and continues back to the group at the back of the cave.

Zeke then steps out of the cave, probably to relieve his bladder as well.

It seems that they didn't even realize I was awake. But at that thought, my brain goes back to the person I'm snuggled up to, who is still stroking my hair gracefully.

I turn my head, and as expected, my eyes land on the handsome face of Tobias.

He's still leaning up against the dirt wall at the mouth of the cave, his legs sprawled out before him. But I've somehow positioned myself to be laying down on the ground, my head is on his lap, laying on a rolled up sweatshirt that smells like him.

"Hi." I say quietly.

"Hi." he replies, a small smile on his lips.

We remain like that for a few moments, just relishing in the current state of tranquil silence.

I look into those eyes of his, the ones that say so much, yet give so little away. It's like his eyes are more expressive than anyone's I've ever met, yet I know there is so much more to him. So much that he keeps to himself.

It's a bit bizarre to me, to think how close I've gotten with him, how comfortable I am with him, how enthralled I am with him, after such a short time. But despite the butterflies I still get, and the way he makes my breath hitch at the smallest of gestures, I feel like we have a real connection. Not some cheesy love at first site thing, or where we simply know a lot of random facts about one another, now we're bound to be best friends. No, this is an honest to goodness connection, without even any words needing to be spoken. As we stare at each other in this early cool morning, lounging in comfortable silence, I feel a chemistry between us that I've only ever read about in novels or seen in movies. I wonder if this chemistry is always been there between us, but we haven't noticed. Or if it's settling in now, since we've spent the last few days together and got to know each other? Either way, I can't help but hope he feels this too.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks gently. His voice deep, seemingly thick from sleep.

"Hm?" I murmur.

"You were just looking at me for a few minutes, then started smiling really big." he explains further.

"I can't just smile at you?" I ask teasingly back, avoiding the question, not knowing how to explain what I had been thinking.

"You're more than welcome to smile at me. I rather prefer it. But you just looked deep in thought." he says, tilting his head slightly and looks at me curiously, as if trying to figure me out.

"I was thinking about how I feel like I've known you forever, but it's barely been 5 days since I first met you." I say. "I feel like I'm more comfortable with you than some of my friends that I've known for a long time." I add, unsure as to why I feel the need to keep revealing this much information. I guess it's not as bad as bringing up that I feel a 'deep connection' with him, unlike anyone I've ever met.

"I know what you mean. But let's look at it this way." he starts, twisting his back slightly to stretch it. Which causes me to think about how uncomfortable and sore he must be from sitting in this position all night while I'm sprawled out comfortably using him as a pillow.

So as he speaks, I begin to sit up and turn to lean my back against the side of the cave wall next to him. Then I fold and set the sweatshirt on my lap before pulling him to lay down. His head lays on the sweatshirt, looking up at me, just how I had been laying on him. I tentatively reach down and start running my fingers through his hair as he had done mine. But since his hair is only an inch and a half long on top, it's more like I'm massaging my nails gently in his scalp. Which he seems to like by the way his eyes roll back just slightly and his mouth parts for a moment as he pauses to enjoy the feeling, before continuing what he was saying.

"We've known each other almost 5 days, but amongst that, we've been together for about 100 of those hours." he says, and I nod in agreement. "Whereas, it would probably take me..." he thinks for a brief moment, doing the math, then continues. "10 or 11 months to spend 100 hours with a normal friend. So the way we could look at it, is although we've only technically known each other for about 5 days, the time we've spent together, is almost like a full year's worth of friendship." he explains.

A part of me wants to laugh about such silly logic, but I'm too shocked to react that way. It's so sweet what he's saying. And I guess there really is some truth to it, even if it's stretching it a bit.

"I guess that's true." I say, trying to control my grin as he looks up at me with a sexy smirk.

"Hey, how did I get laying down like this? I barely realized you switched our positions." he says and I chuckle.

"I'm smooth." I brag teasingly and he chuckles too. The way he smiles so carefree right now, chuckling so freely and happily. The sight of it yet again makes my breath hitch and I accidentally grip his hair more firmly, giving him quite a tug by accident. It causes his chuckling to subside quickly and I almost think I hear a faint grunt or growl come from deep in his throat the moment my fingers pull at his golden brown locks. But it's the look of utter lust and desire as he remains looking up at me that really gets my panties wet. As if they weren't already, just by being in the presence of this gorgeous man.

How am I supposed to just think about him as a friend? Or simply a survival partner? It would be hard enough, considering my attraction to him. But then he looks at me like this and my knees feel weak, and I'm not even standing up.

My vision roams from his eyes down to his lips, just as I see his tongue slip out to moisten them. As if reading my mind, he leans in and his lips press to mine.

But unfortunately it only lasts a second, because we hear someone clear their throat.

Dammit.

We both pull away quickly and look in the direction of the voice.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt, just thought I'd let you know everyone else is on their way out...in case you were keeping this on the down-low." Will explains to us quietly, gesturing between us with his finger. Referring to whatever Tobias and I have going on between us.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks." I say, probably not hiding my blush very well. I turn away from Tobias and cross my arms across my chest, hoping to seem natural as we hear the murmurs of the others coming from the main camp site at the back of the cave. Tobias then stands, twisting to stretch his back again briefly. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see his hand has reached out to help me up. I take it and find myself not wanting to let go. But I do, so not to raise suspicion. I don't know what exactly actually is going on between us, and if it is anything, I'm not sure if Tobias prefers the others not know about it.

"Wow, you two slept out here all night?" Christina asks us, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"Yeah, we stayed up to keep watch and must have fallen asleep." Tobias says.

"When it was my turn to switch with them, they were out like a light. So I didn't want to bother and wake them, they looked too comfortable." Zeke says as he re-joins the group.

Will tries to hide his smirk, but he fails. Thankfully I think Tobias and I are the only ones that notice.

"So, I say we really focus on finding water and food this afternoon." Tobias says.

"I agree, we're running dangerously close to running out." Zeke says.

"Okay, let's get ready and pack up." Christina says.

"We girls are going to go change clothes, give us a few minutes before you come back here." Marlene says as she nods her head towards the back of the cave where most of our bags are.

"No problem." Tobias says.

Christina then loops her arm through mine with her left, and Marlene with her right, then we make our way back. It feels good to change into a clean pair of underwear and clothes, but I still end up putting on a simple pair denim jeans, a T-shirt and a hoodie sweatshirt. If we're going to be hiking some more, I want to be comfortable. I'm still sore from yesterday's all-day hike. I'm used to staying fit and going on a run about every other day. But yesterday, we covered a lot of ground and it was a much more difficult terrain than I'm accustomed to. I know the others feel the same.

Marlene and Christina just finish changing as well, as we hear the guys making their way back to join us.

"Better?" Uriah asks.

"Yes." Marlene says as she rolls up her dirty clothes and stuffs them into her backpack.

The guys begin to change as well as us girls gather our stuff and head out the cave. Out of the corner of my eye I had seen Tobias begin to remove his shirt and it took all of my restraint not to look.

"So, you seem to get along well with Four quite good." Christina says, nudging me with her elbow as we exit the cave and take a seat on an area of rocks nearby as we wait for the guys.

I shrug, trying to act like it's no big deal. But I know she sees the grin I'm attempting to withhold at her comment.

"I think he likes you." Marlene says.

"I agree, he's totally into you." Christina agrees.

"What about the way you act with Will?" I tease her back, not hiding the fact that I've witnessed their stolen glances and extra shared smiles.

"Oh shush. Yeah, I kind of like Will, big deal. Don't change the subject. What's up with you and Four?"

"I don't know." I start to say, looking down at my shoes, absentmindedly clicking them together as I think about what she said. "We're friends. I think we just calm each other. We get along well, it's fun. And we push each other, we encourage each other amongst our situation our here. We're like- hiking friends, stuck in a survival situation." I say, reiterating my earlier thoughts. Attempting to sum up the status of me and this guy I can't seem to get off my mind, and apparently it's obvious to the rest of my friends here.

"He talks to you the most. He laughs and smiles with you a lot. He snuggles with you at night. And don't even get me started on the way he looks at you." Christina says.

"I know, right?" Marlene says to Christina, as if what she says should be so obvious to me.

"I'd say, it seems more like you guys became quick friends and starting to become a couple. This situation has just sped up the process." Christina encourages.

Thankfully before I have the opportunity to reply, the guys reemerge and ask if we're ready to go.

We then head out into the dense foliage again, as a group. Discussing ways to try and find food and water.

"There has to be fresh water around here somewhere, we've seen some birds and animals. They have to drink it from somewhere, right?" I say.

"Very true." Tobias says.

"Look for muddy areas. If the mud is trailing downhill at all, we should follow it up and see where the moisture is coming from." Will adds.

"So, Tris...you like the outdoors, huh?" Zeke asks me.

"Yeah, my family and I would go camping a lot. We never really had enough money to travel far. Our vacations were always camping trips throughout California." I reply, reminiscing. "So I've loved it from a young age."

"Four, you like the outdoors too, don't you? Like to camp as well?" Zeke then asks Tobias, who gives him a warning look.

I wonder if that look is because he's revealing something about him maybe he didn't want everyone to know? Or if it's because he's trying to encourage something we have in common? I'm not sure, but either way I find their banter amusing as they continue it for the next 20 or so minutes.

"Hey guys, over here. I think I hear water." Uriah eventually says from just over the ridge before us.

"I hear it too." Marlene says, standing still near him and perking her ear up to listen better.

"Follow the sound." Will says and Uriah leads the way.

As we do, it's a bit of a rocky trek. It takes some extra effort to climb over various boulders and logs. But we definitely hear the water getting closer.

Tobias and I haven't really made any physical contact or spoken just the two of us since this morning. But as we continue on into the early afternoon, we do share those occasional glances that cause my heart to flutter. I feel like I never know what he's thinking, but the way he looks at me, really does make me feel like I'm something special in his eyes. Which is hard to wrap my head around.

Either way, I can't let myself think that way. I refuse to get my hopes up, just to be sorely disappointed. And we just need to focus on surviving.

Just as the ground begins to clear into a short green wild grass, I can tell even just by the change in plants that we're near fresh water.

"We're close." Tobias says, agreeing with my thoughts.

"Yes!" Zeke exclaims with a slight jump in his step, full of excitement as he and Uriah begin to approach definite fresh water. It has started out as a stream, but as we follow it, I'd say it could be considered a small river.

We continue to follow it up until we reach a small body of water, with a small, but beautiful waterfall flowing into it from a drop of at least 30 feet.

"Oh my God." Christina with a grin. "It's gorgeous."

"Is it safe to drink?" Marlene asks with an eager expression.

"I'd say it likely is, considering it's probably rainwater and it's constantly following. But we can boil it to be safe. We still have that metal fruit bowl from the jet?" Will asks.

"Yeah, I shoved it in my bag." Marlene says, pulling her backpack off to pull it out.

"Awesome, let's get a fire going and set some to boil as we look for some sort of food."

After doing so, we trek around lightly in search of anything edible. We still have some food we brought, but it's getting low. Down to just some bite size candy bars, granola bars, crackers, jerky and peanuts. So we're definitely going to need to forage for anything we can.

We don't end up with much luck. The few things we might think are edible, we're not positive about. So we avoid them for now. Just as I let out a sigh and my stomach grumbles, I turn to see a beautiful plant with brightly colored pink flowers.

"Fuchsia!"

"Huh?" Uriah asks from my left.

Tobias and Zeke come over to see what I'm talking about too since they were nearby.

"Fuchsia." I say again, with a growing smile. "This is one of my mom's favorite flowers." I say, feeling a lump in my throat at the thought of my mom, who is probably at home worried sick about me. "This particular plant is huge, I've never seen one quite so big. But I guess that's what happens when they're in the wild, rather than being confined to clay pots on a backyard patio.

"It's really pretty." Uriah says, not really seeing where my logic is at pointing this particular flower out.

"My mom isn't a trained botanist or anything, but she loves gardening and learning about plants and flowers. She has a ton of books and she's out in her garden every day. It's always overflowing with beautiful things." I say as the others join us and I pick one of the fuchsia flowers and twirling it in my fingertips. "She always loved the fuchsia, not only because it's beautiful and attracts hummingbirds, but because it's also useful, being that it's _edible_." I say, finally turning to them as I pop one of the fruit berries from the plant into my mouth.

Christina and Marlene suck in a breath as if I just did something horrible, like they're not sure I know what I'm talking about and I may have just eaten something poisonous.

"Trust me, I've eaten them many times. My mom has even made jam from them before. But the flower part is edible too. Just remove any green and brown bits and gently remove the stamen. It will enhance the petal flavor." I explain.

"Wow, really?" Christina asks.

"Yeah, even fancy restaurants toss these flowers into their green salads to add vibrant color." I add, as I pop the flower part into my mouth and chew. I swallow and open my mouth at Christina so she can see I swallowed it, since she's still looking at me like I'm crazy.

Tobias reaches over my head for a flower too with some berries, eating them just as I did. "Not bad at all." he says. "A little citrusy and peppery." he adds and goes to grab more.

"So you're a flower expert." Zeke says with a grin as he goes to get some too.

"No. Like I said, it's a hobby of my mom's. She taught my brother and I bit, but I can only remember so much. She's like a walking encyclopedia about this kind of stuff." I say.

"Well, I think it's safe to say you know more than us." Tobias says with a small smile.

"Yeah, let us know if you see any other yummy stuff." Uriah requests with a mouthful of flowers. We laugh at the sight and begin to pick a bunch to take with us, filling a plastic bag we had brought with us.

"Will do." I agree, trying to remember other plants and flowers my mom taught me were edible, hoping we come across them.

Once we've snacked on them for a while and filled our bag, we head back over to waterfall area where we have a fire going. Thankfully it's not too far, and we decide since we had such a long day yesterday, that we'd give ourselves an hour or two break to rest and enjoy the endless fresh water supply.

"So, now that we've had water and a lunch of flowers, let's play a game." Uriah says as we all sit on rocks near the water's edge.

"Would you rather?" Zeke suggests. "We're always good at that one."

"Yeah." Uriah agrees and looks to Will first.

"Will, would you rather...be a taser tester, or a professional bean bag gun tester?'

"Ooh, yikes. Like I have to be the one they're tested on?" he asks.

"Yep!" Uriah replies.

"Neither, obviously. But if I had to pick, I guess bean bag gun." he responds with a chuckle.

"Your turn." Uriah says with a nod to Will then. "We'll go in a circle." he adds, gesturing to the odd circle we all sit in.

"Alright..." He begins to think. "Four, would you rather speak everything in surround sound? Or have your own theme song every time you enter a room?"

Tobias barks a laugh and shakes his head. "That's a good one. I'd go with having a theme song upon entering a room." he replies.

"Zeke, would you rather be friends with Batman or Superman?"

"Aw, either! Both are awesome. But I guess I'd say Batman. Bruce Wayne is fucking awesome."

We all mod I'm agreement and eyes turn to Zeke.

"Okay Tris, would you rather be telepathic or telekinetic?" He asks me.

"Hmm...Telekinetic." I reply. "Being telepathic would be cool, and could probably be used for a lot of good. But I feel like it'd be an invasion of privacy. Plus, being telekinetic would be really cool."

"So, Christina, would you rather..." I start to ponder what to ask.

"C'mon, give me something good. Like, which of two guys to sleep with." she says, eagerly awaiting my hypothetical ultimatum.

"Ok fine, would you rather sleep with...Harrison Ford or Bruce Willis?" I ask.

"Damn, oldies but goodies, Hmm...are we talking, current Harrison and Bruce? Or back when they were in their prime?" Christina asks.

"Current." I confirm.

"Bruce." Christina replies with a confident nod. "Mar, same question. But Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp?"

"Brad Pitt, all the way. Johnny is hot, but I've always had a thing for Brad. Ever since Interview with a Vampire." she says.

We all chuckle and play a few more rounds to pass the time.

But eventually, we decide we should make some more progress with our afternoon while we still have daylight.

We pack our backpacks up and although we're considering staying in the cave again tonight, we need to do more exploring, and we need to be prepared to make camp wherever we are if needed. So we take everything with us.

"I wonder how far we are until the other end of the island. I feel like we've trekked quite a ways into the middle of it." Tobias says as he and I make our way through, slightly ahead of everyone else. But not so far that they can't see us.

"I have an idea." I say, stopping and looking around. He follows my eyes, obviously not sure as to what I'm thinking.

Then I spot a good tree, about 20 feet ahead. I jog over to it and drop my backpack and shoulder bag, pull off my sweatshirt, then begin to climb.

"What are you doing?" he asks with some concern.

"Getting a better vantage point. This tree looks tall, but also sturdy. So maybe I can climb up and a see our surroundings." I explain.

"That's actually a really good idea, but are you sure it's safe?" he asks, beginning to follow me up once I'm at about 10 feet up.

"I've been climbing trees since I was little. Maybe never one this tall, but it shouldn't be so bad. Plus, it could really save our asses." I say, continuing to carefully scale the branches. "You don't have to follow. I know how you feel about heights." I say quietly, so only he can hear me. Plus, the others are still not caught up with us.

"I know, but I want to." he says, following a similar route up the branches as I took. Thankfully this is the perfect kind of tree to climb, many strong limbs and it's not too slippery. But it does get slightly windy the higher we get, which I admit, is slightly scary.q But my adrenaline is pumping and I'm determined to make it to a higher point to get a good view.

"This doesn't scare you at all?" Tobias asks and I notice his breathing is slightly harsher than usual. But he's doing pretty good at keeping his cool.

"I guess a little, but it's not too bad. I just try to remain calm, confident and optimistic." I reply as I settle my butt on a good branch.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Christina shouts from the bottom. They must have just caught up and saw our bags sitting on the ground at the trunk of the tree.

"Checking out our view, to see our surroundings." I shout back.

"Be careful!" Marlene shouts.

Tobias settles on the branch beside me and takes a deep breath, seemingly happy to be still for a moment. I offer him a small smile and he returns it. But I can tell it's laced with nervousness.

I take his hand and squeeze it.

"We'll be fine. See, we made it this far up." I say and he nods.

"You sit here, I'm going to go up just a little more, to that branch." I say, pointing it out. "I think I'll be able to see through that clearing." I say.

"I'm coming too." He says.

"No, those branches are getting too weak, you're much taller and muscular than me. I don't know if they'll hold your weight, but I'm a shrimp, so I should be fine." I say.

Before he can protest, I begin to climb to where I had mentioned. And much to my relief, I can indeed see through the clearing of branches and leaves, giving me a perfect view of our surroundings.

"It's beautiful." I say in awe.

"What do you see?" Tobias asks.

I then look behind me and all around, to take in the direction we came. I actually see the plane crash, but I'm too far away to see any of the other people on the shore. I look ahead again and take in the site of the other beach. To my right, a beach is further off, like the island is fairly long in length.

"I see the beach ahead. But no sight of buildings or anything." I tell him.

"How far to the beach ahead of us?" he asks.

"I'd say we're about 2/3 there, from our original beach by the plane." I explain.

I decide this might be one of the few times to use my phone, as I've been avoiding it as much as possible to conserve battery. I carefully pull it out and take a couple pictures, one in each direction, so that I can show the others.

I then climb back down to Tobias, and find the safest route is to get onto the same branch he's on. I drop onto it and straddle it, facing him.

"I got a few pictures." I say.

"Ok, cool." he says, looking at me in awe. "I can't believe you just did that." he adds.

I smile at him and cherish this brief moment of solitude with him.

"I just felt like it was worth a shot." I reply. "Here, let's get one picture of us too. To document this moment of triumph that we scaled this huge tree with just our bare hands." I say with a grin and scoot closer to him until our knees are touching.

I lean my upper body towards him and hold my phone out to snap a picture of the two of us.

"You better have been smiling." I scold playfully as I tuck the phone securely back into my pocket.

Our climb back down the tree was much more difficult, and took longer, but was overall uneventful. We thankfully made it down in one piece, with nothing more than some callused hands and some sore arms and legs.

"You two are insane." Marlene says with a chuckle as Tobias drops to the ground. I follow right behind and he helps stable me as I land beside him.

"Check these out." I say as I pull out my phone. I show them all the photos. Well, all except for that last picture of Tobias and I.

"No buildings, no people." Christina says with a sigh.

"Doesn't seem that way. But there are still people out there searching to rescue us, I have no doubt about that." Will tells her.

"And on a good note, we're not too far from the other side." Uriah says.

"Probably a day's walk?" Zeke asks.

"It may not take that long, but we should assume it might. So we should get an early head start." Tobias says.

"How about we continue to forage for food, stock up on water and sleep in the cave again tonight. Then we will leave for that new beach in the morning?" Will suggests.

We all agree and continue to look around the area. We spread out slightly, but don't stray too far from the group.

Over the next couple hours, we have come across onion-weed, which I had no idea would grow out here, but I'm somewhat familiar with it and know it's definitely edible. Although it's not as tasty when eating it raw, like the Fuchsia. But if we find any protein, the onion root will definitely help flavor it up if we cook with it.

Tobias also comes across blackberry plants and leads us a short ways to see an abundance of them. They're growing wild like weeds, but much to our benefit, they're full of berries. This is by far our favorite find so far, considering they're the tastiest. We end up switching our bags and packs around, sharing loads, so that we can fill a couple bags completely with blackberries. Not only to help sustain us, but to bring back to the others at the crash site. We even take Christina's big floppy hat and fill it with berries. It's important that we eat as many as we can while we're here, then gather and bring as many with us as we can. It takes quite a while, but since there is 7 of us, it's not so bad. And as usual, we make random small talk to keep it entertaining. The guys are constantly cracking jokes too, which makes us laugh and keeps our spirits up.

Once we decide we have enough, we head back to our cave. Thankfully the original campfire still has hot embers buried in it. Even though there is no actual flame left, it's enough to start a new fire without wasting another match.

We settle around it and chat for a while as we play cards. Zeke had brought a deck of them with him on the plane, and we're all quite glad he did as it's been a great thing for us to all do in spare time.

If you removed the dark cave surrounding us, the humid cave air, the cool breeze settling in, and the odd snacks we had for lunch and dinner- it might actually feel like I'm just hanging out playing poker with a group of friends. Because, it's true. They _have_ become my friends. No matter how long we've known each other now, this is a great group of people. I respect all of them, I enjoy their company, we have similar interests, and I have to look at the bright side. At least I'm stuck out here with _them_. It could definitely be worse. Like a bunch of Eric's.

After a while, we all disperse from our card game and do our own thing.

Zeke and Uriah play paper football on the dirt ground. Will is reading in the corner. Christina and Marlene are brushing and braiding each other's hair. Tobias has got the knife and is whittling a stick, into what seems like a spear.

I've got my notebook and I'm jotting down ideas for a novel. I had some brief moments of inspiration today, causing me to look forward to writing tonight. But as the evening goes on, my brain gets tired of thinking and I close the notebook and just doodle on the front.

It's not long before Christina comes over and begins to brush and braid my hair too. After she's done, us girls chat for a while about random things.

Somehow we get in the topic of ex-boyfriends. Once the conversation turns to me, I reluctantly tell them about my meager relationship experience.

I tell them about Robert. How we went to junior high together. How he was a sweet guy and we tried dating in high school. How he was my first kiss, he was my prom date, and so on. She even weaseled me into admitting how I had lost my virginity to him at 18. But I explained that neither of us felt much, so we broke it off after a few months and he went off to college out of state shortly after. I then tell them about my next ex-boyfriend, Jacob. I summarize how he was pretty hot, he was really sweet in the beginning, and how he was in a band that did quite well locally. By further insistence of Christina, she gets me to reveal that he was much better in bed than Robert. But that he turned out to be a douche and was more worried about fame and sex, than committing to a real relationship. Even though we were young, I still wanted a guy who might see a future with me, even if it were just hypothetical. But he didn't see himself ever getting married or having a family, and his party lifestyle just increased, so we didn't last more than 6 months. That was when I was 20. I then mention how when Robert returned, transferring to UCLA at age 22, we tried the relationship thing again. But even after some time a part and further life experiences, there still wasn't any spark or excitement, it was just dull comfortable companionship. Although it wasn't terrible, we were compatible enough. It just lacked. And it wasn't what either of us wanted out of a relationship, or a future. So we broke it off mutually again, after just over a year.

I don't go into as much detail about my sex life as Christina and Marlene did when recapping their past. As much as they request I divulge more, I've just never been that open of a person. At least not about stuff like that. So despite how much they try to press for juicy details, I keep my answers simple and to the point.

They push for information on my dating status and sex life since Robert and I broke up the second time, being that I'm now 24, almost 25 and that break-up was a couple years ago. They're curious what I've been up to. But I explain that besides an occasional date, I haven't really put any effort into looking for a guy. It hasn't been a priority. I explain how I just decided to focus on myself. On my career. My desire to travel. And figured I might meet someone along the way that I was meant to be with, but that it wasn't my ultimate goal in my life right now. When I say this, I struggle not to look right at Tobias. I want to badly, but I know it would just encourage them being suspicious of my feelings for him. But I can't help but think he might be the one that I _meet along the way_, so to speak.

I know Tobias has been sitting somewhat nearby and none of us have shied away with our conversations, even though there is a chance he and the other guys can hear us. I thought I had maybe noticed a slight scowl on Tobias' face when it had been my turn to talk about previous relationships. But I'm unsure. I don't even know if he heard any of it. And honestly, I'm not sure which I'd prefer.

Christina begins about her desire to travel too. But how she thought New Zealand would be the extent of it.

After a few minutes, Tobias stands, stretches and zips up his hoodie sweatshirt.

"I'm going to go get some fresh air and look at the stars." he says, not making eye contact with any of us. He grabs his bottle of water and steps away to exit the cave.

After a few minutes of tuning out Christina and Marlene and being stuck in my own thoughts about what Tobias could be thinking or feeling, I decide to attempt to join him.

When I tell the girls this, they just smirk and nod, encouraging me to go and assure me they won't interrupt us.

I almost don't see him at first, being that he's a slight ways off in the distance, off to the left. He's in a small clearing, laying on his back, on top of a blanket on a bed of short grass. He has his arms behind his head as he looks up into the dark sky.

"Want any company?" I ask him.

"Sure." he says, scooting over a bit to allow me to lay beside him on his blanket.

We lay there quietly for a while, both looking up at what looks like millions of stars.

"I'm sorry Will saw me kiss you earlier." he says finally.

"Oh." is all I manage to say for some reason.

Does he actually regret it? Or is he apologizing because he didn't want anyone to know?

"I was being selfish, my desire clouded my judgment." he tries explaining further.

"Don't apologize, I'm just as much at fault. I...was ready to lean in kiss you if you hadn't gone for it first." I say, trying to help relieve some of his guilt. Although he said his desire clouded his judgment? I'm so confused.

"You would have?" he asks.

"Yeah, I um, I liked kissing you last night. But I should have been smarter this morning, I should have thought of the fact that you may not want the others to know about it. Or if you didn't even want it to happen again." I start rattling off. "I just read into the situation wrong, I'm not the best at reading signs people give me." I say, turning quite embarrassed at my stupid assumptions. I swallow thickly and try my hardest not to just get up and run away from this situation, reminding myself it will just make matters more awkward tomorrow.

"Tris, you've misunderstood. I could kiss you every hour of every day." he says and this causes me to turn my head and look over at him in disbelief. He looks me right in the eye and continues. "I don't think you read the signs wrong. I think we have a unique chemistry. Despite how long we've known each other, I'm really attracted to you. And I think your smart and awesome and I really like being around you." he says and I feel the corners of my mouth tug up into a small smile as my heart pounds in my chest like a drum, but I'm still confused.

"So...why are you sorry?" I ask, trying to understand.

"I just thought by the way you reacted when Will caught us this morning, that you didn't want the others to know, or that you regretted it all together. Then the way you mentioned to Christina and Marlene that you just want to focus on your career and traveling, and _not_ guys...well, I'm obviously a guy. With desires and feelings and whatnot. So I don't want to get in the way of that, of what you want to focus on in your life. I respect you and your priorities, and don't want to hold you back, or push you or try to persuade you into anything." he explains.

Am I hearing him correctly? Is this for real? The one person that I'm more intrigued and attracted to than anyone I've ever met? The guy I fantasized about when I fell asleep last night, after he kissed me like I never thought possible?

I don't know what this means. I don't know what our future holds. But I do know that he admitted to being attracted to me and he feels what I feel. It's like a fucking fairy tale and I'd be stupid not to act on it.

Before I chicken out, I roll over on top of him, my knees on either side of his waist.

My lips crash to his, but he doesn't respond right away. I don't stop though. I keep my lips pressed firmly to his, hoping that he won't push me away. Thankfully he doesn't take too long to give in and kisses me back. I feel his mouth begin to part and I take advantage of slipping my tongue out experimentally. He reciprocates immediately this time and massages my tongue with his. I feel his hands settle softly on my hips as my elbows rest on the ground on either side of his head. My hands go up and tangle in his hair as we continue to make out with each other.

His hands don't really stray from my hips, but I feel his thumbs rub on the skin of my sides where my shirt has ridden up slightly. I smile into this kiss, then I feel him do the same. We pull away slightly, still smiling at one another. I feel his hardness through both of our jeans as I sit up, still straddling him. But I don't mention it, I just smile and revile in the fact that I actually have this effect on him. I roll my hips just slightly and I hear a deep noise escape his throat like this morning when I tugged on his hair. He grips my hips tighter, pressing our bodies together, to really feel one another. Again, even though it's through our pants, it's extremely thrilling and I am beyond turned on.

"You really think you could kiss me every hour of every day? That's quite a challenge." I tease, biting my lower lip out of habit.

"I'm willing to try if you are." he replies with a grin.

"Absolutely." I reply with confidence, a matching grin on my face.

**-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N- Forgot to include an author's note with that last chapter, sorry. But thank you SOOO much for all the kind reviews and wonderful feedback you've given me on this story so far. It's been quite popular, much more than anticipated. So as the author, it just adds to the joy of me writing it even more. You really boost my confidence! It's so exciting to see my inbox fill up like that****!**

**Find me on Tumblr (madisonr1129). I'll be posting the picture collage to correlate with this chapter ASAP.**

**Last but not least, thank you again to Ractre1127, for proof reading, being so helpful and completely awesome!**

**Until next time...(and beware, there will be the start of more smut in the next chapter).**


	6. Chapter 6

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age! **

**(Smut begins in this chapter and will occur more often from here on out)**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 6:**

***Day 5 on the island***

**~~Tris POV~~**

The following morning is a bit warmer than usual. Everyone is gathering their packs and getting changed into a less dirty pair of clothes. Tobias finished before everyone else and said he was going to step away for a little bit, but would return back to the cave by 10 am, which is when we agreed we'd all set off towards their new destination.

After I finish changing, I go wander around nearby a bit thinking to myself as I wait for everyone.

My mind wanders about our previous evening...Tobias and I slept in each other's arms again last night. Just like we have every night. But this time it felt a little different. Even better than before. After our passionate kissing session and conversation, I definitely feel like we're in a good place. I still don't know if we're a 'couple' or if he sees this going anywhere, especially after we're hopefully rescued. But I try not to really think about that too much. I guess we'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, I just want to enjoy his company any way he'll have me.

I just begin to think about other more specific ways I want him to have me, when I spot him. Dammit, my dirty mind and imagination seem to be playing tricks on me. He seems to be standing out in the jungle like area, with his bare back to me. I have full view of the incredible tattoo that pretty much fully covers his back. He remains in just his blue denim jeans and boots, no shirt. So I'm able to really appreciate the movements of his sexy back muscles as he pulls something back in his hand, taking aim and throwing it at the large tree that stands before him. I can see the knot in the wood he seems to have been aiming for, which he got it dead center.

I shake my head as if to test my eyes to see if what I'm seeing is real. And alas, it is.

"Good shot." I say and he looks over his shoulder at me, his lips lifting into a smirk.

"Thanks." he says as he walks up and removes the knife from the tree trunk. As he walks back to his position, I get a glimpse of his muscular chest and abs. I knew he'd be hot, that much is obvious even with his shirt on, but fuck. He's like a Greek God. He's not all bulky and muscular like a body builder. He's lean and slender, but with defined muscles and lightly tanned skin. A small smattering of golden brown hair on his chest is just barely visible from where I stand. Then my eyes wander to the bit of hair below his belly button that trails down into pants.

I'm broken from my revere as he turns and faces the tree, once again turning his back to me. I'm a bit embarrassed that he may have caught me staring, but he doesn't say anything. So I stand there and watch him get ready to take another shot at throwing his knife.

I see his head tilt up as if he is deciding on a new target. My eyes zone in on the small patch of tree to the upper right that has a dark spot of bark. He aims and as expected, he gets it right in the center of that spot.

"How long have you been throwing knives? You seem pretty good." I say as I take a seat on a large nearby rock. It's actually not too big, but enough so that my legs are dangling down.

"I guess for quite a while now." he says. "My friend Josh and I grew up together and his dad was in the military. Throughout our teenage years, he taught us quite a bit with knives and guns. It was supposed to just be some manly hobbies to enjoy together, but I guess he also wanted us to know how to defend ourselves. He was also a bit of a conspiracy theorist." he says, taking another shot.

"You can shoot guns too?" I ask.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't currently own any. But we went to the shooting range together fairly often." he replies. "But I've always enjoyed target practice with a good knife." he adds, twirling the silver blade in his hand casually where it dangles in his right hand. It's like he doesn't even know he's doing it, before he takes aim and throws it again. "You ever tried it?" he asks.

"Nope. You should teach me." I say without even thinking.

"Really?" he asks with his lips quirking up.

I shrug. "Unless you don't want to."

He walks over to me and tugs on my hand, pulling me over to where he was standing.

"Now?" I ask with a chuckle.

"Yeah, why not?" he replies.

He turns me towards the tree and turns the knife around in his hand carefully, offering me the handle of it. I take it from him and he proceeds to show me how to hold it and how to prepare and aim, then how to execute the throw. I especially like it when he presses his bare skin to my back when showing me a good stance.

I laugh at myself as it clunks against the tree trunk, landing on the ground with a thud.

"Hey, good aim." he tells me as he goes to retrieve it from the ground.

Once again, I can't help my wandering eyes as he bends over to get it. If only he didn't fill out those jeans so perfectly, maybe I wouldn't seem like such a damn horny teenager. It's taking way too much effort to not picture him naked.

He brings it back to me and tells me to try again. I throw it as instructed, and again, it hits the tree, even closer to the part I was aiming. But it doesn't stick, it falls to the ground again.

We keep this up for a little while, him giving me pointers and eventually, much to my surprise, I'm actually able to successfully throw the knife into the tree. I'm nowhere near as good as Tobias, I'm sure that would take years of practice. But I'm pretty proud of myself for catching on so quickly.

"Thanks." I say, leaning down to tie my boot where the lace had come undone.

"No problem. And seriously, you're a natural." he insists as he grabs his T-shirt that was laying nearby and puts it on.

"Always practice without a shirt on?" I tease.

"Sometimes." he shrugs. "At least when it's this hot out, yeah."

"I guess that makes sense."

"I could leave it on from now on, if you prefer." he says.

"No!" I say a bit too quickly. I close my eyes and sigh at my stupid eager reply. "I mean, just do what's comfortable. I don't mind either way."

He smirks, then pulls me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, essentially pulling my face against his chest. He kisses the top of my head and I smile as I breathe him in.

I lean in and give him a sweet kiss before we make our way back to the group just as they're finishing gathering their things.

"Where did you two sneak off to?" Uriah teases.

"Knife throwing." Tobias says pointedly back to him, which causes Uriah's eyebrows to shoot up. It's pretty entertaining how intimidating he can be within a moment's notice. I think Tobias gets a kick out of Uriah's reactions too.

Zeke chuckles and pats his brother on the head as he walks by him. "C'mon Uri, let's get going. Everyone's ready but you."

"I'm ready too, just have to grab my hat and shoes." Uriah replies.

**~~TOBIAS POV~~**

We begin our trip with lighthearted chit chat. As a group, we again find it quite easy to converse and are constantly making each other laugh. I find it encouraging that despite how depressing our situation could be, we're all trying to make the most of it and keep each other entertained. However, it was nice to spend some one-on-one time with Tris this morning.

She and I still aren't extremely handsy with each other, especially not in front of the others. But after last night, I can't help but feel a lot closer to her. Never did I think I'd feel that strongly about a kiss and a brief conversation. Plus, the few other times I've been fortunate enough to have her lips on mine so far, have been electrifying as well. She makes me feel so alive.

But I can't help but want more. Not only does she enthrall me in general, but having her physically close to me, just does something to me. The way I crave to be close to her is unfamiliar. I appreciate that she doesn't just seem interested in it for the physical aspects, as with many girls that happen to show interest in me. But with the way she maneuvered on me last night as we made out, and even by the way I noticed her looking me over this morning when I was shirtless...well, I'm definitely relieved she might be interested in the physical side of things as well. I didn't mean for her to find me out there like that, but I guess it did somewhat give me a boost of confidence.

We end up taking a break about half way there, to sit and rest our feet and legs, as well as enjoy some snacks and water.

The temperature continues to rise as we continue into the afternoon and we're all the more exhausted because of it. Personally, I know I'm also eager to get to the ocean just for the fact that I'd like to cool off and clean up a bit. Plus, I'm starving and hope we have some better luck there finding some grub.

As I take a seat on a nearby log, I turn to see that Tris has been walking behind me, talking to Christina. They seem to currently be discussing which movie of the 80's was best, and worst.

Tris comes and takes a seat next to me, offering me a smile before gulping down half a bottle of water. As she focuses her attention back to Christina who has decided to sit cross legged on the ground in front of us, I glance over to take in Tris' appearance. I just can't help myself, I'm so drawn to her.

She's still wearing her olive green shorts, a brown belt and a black tank top, along with her Doc Marten boots. The shorts are fairly short, but of course not in a slutty way. However, they do show off her tanned long legs. And her top shows off her beautiful arms, shoulders and collar bone. Her hair is up in a ponytail, showing off her long neck, which practically begs for my lips as I take in the sight of it.

All these features are more predominant to me as I see the sweat glistening on her skin, emphasizing the contours of her body and smooth soft skin. I even see the tiniest bit of sweat below her bottom lip and it just draws my eyes to her mouth even more than usual.

She has a little dirt on her cheek and forehead, as well as her arms. In addition to the few scrapes and cuts we've all been getting from trekking through this small jungle without a real path to follow. All in all, Tris looks badass, and just downright sexy. She's able to exude the perfect combination of strength and fortitude, femininity and just complete and utter beauty.

She looks like she wants a good dip in the water to clean off like me, but I can't help but like dirty Tris too. I have to keep myself in line before I start fantasizing about how nice it would be to have those long smooth legs wrapped around me, and those gorgeous eyes looking into mine while I bury myself deep inside her.

After Christina turns to talk to Will, Tris turns to me and I'm broken from my thoughts as she catches me staring at her.

She blushes and bites her lip. "What?" she asks hesitantly.

"Sorry, I got distracted, that's all."

"Huh?" she asks, oblivious.

I decide to be honest, so I lean towards her ear and whisper, "You're just really fucking sexy and it's hard to keep my eyes off you, Tris."

She sucks in a breath and she looks down at the water bottle she holds in her lap as she mindlessly peels at the label.

"Right now, I'm just gross, I'm all sweaty and dirty. I probably smell too." she says with a humorless laugh.

"Shut up, you aren't gross, you happen to pull off dirty and sweaty very well. And you don't stink. You always smell good." I say, and she smiles slightly at the compliment. But she's still bashful.

After a few moments, she eventually looks up at me through her long lashes, that sexy coy smile of hers causing me to reconsider my internal decision to not show too much affection towards her in front of the others, because I know she's not a huge fan of PDA.

"Yeah?" she murmurs, stealing a glance at the others to see if they're paying attention to us. Which they aren't. So she focuses back solely on me.

"Mmhmm." I agree.

"You looked deep in thought, what exactly were you thinking about?" she presses, a mischievous look on her face, almost encouraging me to reveal any sexual thoughts I may have been having about her.

"Nothing, really. Just enjoying your company and your beauty." I reply, attempting to avoid the question casually without lying. I don't want to make her uncomfortable by explaining my thoughts of having her straddling my lap, riding me into oblivion.

"That's no fun. C'mon, tell me what you were thinking." she nudges my shoulder with hers playfully.

"Let's just say... I wouldn't mind rolling around and getting a little dirty with you myself." I say, surprising myself as well as her by my admission. Although she seems a bit bashful still, she bites her lip again as her eyes seem to darken and the lust is evident on her face.

"You guys ready to keep going?" Zeke asks and we both look up at him where he stands before us.

"Yep." I reply, more throatily than expecting, causing me to clear my throat.

We again, gather our belongings and take off towards today's destination.

After hiking for a good part of the afternoon, we finally approach the sea shore.

Once we arrive, we're happy to have made it this far today. We feel somewhat accomplished and are glad to have a beautiful beach to sleep on again.

We spend the later part of the afternoon doing our now usual set-up of building a fire and shelter. We're getting better at these things, making it go much smoother and quicker.

After getting camp set up, Tris and I decide to attempt some fishing. She grabs her net bag, which is incredible. She had unthread a large cable knit sweater and re-tied it to make a net satchel, which she has used to carry some of her stuff around. But now she knows it may come of use catching fish. Whereas I will attempt to use the spear that I had whittled from a long tree branch.

She enters the shelter to change into her bathing suit and I just go behind a handful of bushes off to then side to change into my board shorts. We meet each other on the shore and help each other apply some sun screen to each other's backs.

"I'm still in awe of your tattoo." she says, sneaking a chaste kiss between my shoulder blades.

"Thanks, I really like yours too." I reply as I turn her back to face me and I brush my right thumb over it where the ravens reside on her collar bone.

The previous night, we had revealed to each other what our tattoos mean, and I'm happy how easy it was for me to continue opening up to her. It feels natural, which I never would have expected I'd find with anyone.

I look at her, wearing the same bikini as the last time I saw her in one. I'm glad I'm able to be so close to her in it this time. She tentatively run her hands up my forearms up to my biceps. She then winds them around my shoulders and pulls me close to her for a hug.

As usual, she rests her head on my chest, right where she fits best. But for the first time in this position, it's bare to her. And the sensation of having so much of her skin on mine, is almost unbearable. It's overwhelming to my senses. I get goose bumps as feel her puckered nipples straining against the thin confines of her bikini top, pressing into my abdomen.

She then pulls away and smiles at me, like she feels the connection as well. But she glances at the group and see's they're messing around nearby, and occasionally glancing at us giving us eyebrow wiggles or knowing smirks.

"I'm going to catch a fish before you do." she claims with a grin and turns to jog towards the water. I grab my spear and follow her.

For the next couple of hours, we try our best at fishing, but come up short. Catching fish without a fishing pole has proven to be much more difficult than expected.

I'm backing up slowly in the waist deep water, looking through the clear teal colored water, following the silver looking fish that's swimming around my legs. If I can just get it in front of me for a moment, maybe I can take a shot at it safely. I definitely don't want to spear my own foot.

"This is harder than I thought." I say to Tris, who I know is somewhere nearby behind me.

"I know, my net actually works pretty well. Thankfully the big ones can't get through the holes of it. But it's a matter of capturing it and closing it off quickly enough before they swim back out. They're so damn fast!" she says in frustration.

"Well, my grandpa used to always say the best fishing time is early morning. What do you say we give it another go then?" I suggest.

"Yeah, okay. Let me just try for this big guy real quick..." she trails off, seemingly in concentration. "Oh my gosh, is that an eel?" she says with surprise, just as we accidentally bump into each other back-to-back. She squeaks in surprise.

She then turns to me fully as I turn to face her. "You scared me, I didn't realize you were that close behind me!" she laughs as she playfully hits my arm, them looks back around her legs for said eel.

For some reason I don't even think as I grab her and playfully toss her over my shoulder and swing us around in a circle. I laugh, as does she, as we splash around being silly.

I eventually feel her shimmy down to where she has her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms around my neck.

She smiles at me sweetly as she finally starts to catch her breath from laughing.

I swear, her laugh is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. And I get a thrill every time I'm the one to cause it.

Then she leans in and kisses me abruptly. But it doesn't take long for me to kiss her back.

I completely forget about our group of friends up on the shore. Although last I looked, the sun was setting and they were just minding their own business, some even heading to bed early since it was yet again, quite a long day.

However, I'm thankful that we're still in waist deep water to cover up my obvious arousal, as my hard-on would clearly be visible in these board shorts. Tris' mouth continues to capture mine and just like last night, I feel her hips rock against mine where she must obviously feel me firmly against her.

We just pull away for air as I hear a soft moan escape her mouth.

"You have no idea what you do to me." I say softly in her ear as I trail a few kisses to her neck, attempting to control myself from completely taking her right here and now.

"Me too. I want you so bad Tobias." she admits through heavily lidded eyes as she touches her thumb to my lower lip, her eyes trailing down to it before they roam back up to meet my eyes.

"I wish we had more privacy." I say as my hands grip her hips and I lean my forehead on her shoulder.

"Well, um...we might be able to..." she starts and I bring my forehead away from her shoulder to look at her again, silently asking her to continue. "Christina pointed out those rocks over there when she and I were climbing around. We climbed over them and there's another little section of beach there, a bit more secluded. We could probably swim around the rocks though, it's not very deep and the water's pretty steady." she explains.

"Want to go?" I ask, wanting confirmation before taking her there.

She bites her bottom lip and nods. I pull her lip from her teeth with my own lips and we share another short, but heated kiss. We glance up to shore and it seems Tris and Christina almost instantly lock eyes. Christina nods her head towards the more private beach that we had just been discussing, making it obvious she's encouraging us to go over there.

I look to Tris and see she blushes again and offers a shy but firm nod in acknowledgement. I guess it's good at least one of them knows where we'll be, and hopefully she'll ensure nobody interrupts us. Even if I'm not expecting to actually have sex with Tris tonight, I'd at least like some privacy with her. Spend some quality uninterrupted time with her.

Tris starts to swim that direction, tugging me along to follow her. I do so, and just as she described, it's another small stretch of beach. A bit darker from the one we were currently on, since there isn't a bonfire to light the area. Now that the sun has settled below the horizon, we can pretty much only see by moonlight.

The beach itself is only about 20 or 30 feet long, the opposite side backing up to a small cliff, and the sides of it surrounded by these large rocks that Tris has mentioned they had climbed over earlier.

As we approach the shallower water and begin to trudge up the sand, she seems a bit shy again. But she takes my hand in hers pulls me up onto the wet sand and we sit side by side.

We both shiver from the cold, now realizing how quickly the temperature has dropped. Especially now that we're wet and on land where the wind licks our skin. But I also feel warm, being close to her like this, it's like she sets my body on fire. It's thrilling and makes my heart pound faster than usual.

"If you're too cold we can go back-" I start to say but I'm cut off by her lips again. She pushes me onto my back and kisses me forcefully. Her small lithe body feeling incredible as she lays atop me. My hands instantly settle back on her hips and the skin there is incredible on my fingertips.

She pulls away and looks down at me, straight into my eyes as she entwines our hands. She tilts her head and looks at me, again providing me with the sweetest smile I've ever seen. It immediately makes me smile back and it stirs something in me. It stirs up deeper feelings than I'm willing to admit might be there already. I've been trying to suppress them for the sake of doing this right. I actually see a potential future with this remarkable girl, and I don't want to screw it up by saying those words that may scare her away if said too early.

Our lips meet again, and to my surprise, this kiss isn't like any other kiss we'd shared before. It starts out sweet, and searching, but builds until my lips almost feel numb and I can tell both of our entire bodies yearn for more.

I shift and pin her down onto the ground gently, my chest against hers, my thigh lined up along her own, my hips pressing into hers. She slides her other hand up and clenches at the muscles of my back. I feel them pulse under her touch, and feel her own skin shiver in response. My hand caresses her cheek, then travels down her shoulder, strokes down her arm with soft fingertips. I feel her skin once against break out in goose bumps and her hard nipples pressing into me. But as much as I want to explore that part of her, I hold off, for now. Instead, I draw her hand away from where it now resides on my hip and twist so that our fingers are interlocked, pressing together tightly as I catch my breath. I involuntarily shift, just slightly, and the hard length of me brushes against her; her eyes roll back into her head at the feel of it. It seems like she couldn't help the almost involuntary way her hips jolted against me in return.

"Am I moving too fast? Please tell me if you want me to stop." I say to her.

"I…." she trails off as my lips descend on the corner of her jaw, teeth nibbling heatedly against the soft skin. "I don't want you to stop. And I don't think anyone will bother us, thanks to Chris." she says softly.

"Good." My lips find hers again, hot and fast, untangling my hands from hers to slide them down her back, over her hips, cupping her ass and hoisting her lower half up a bit, so that she can feel me even more against her. We both let out a low moan at the connection, especially considering the thinness of the few garments we're wearing. Her legs wrap around my waist again and I feel the heat radiating off her, causing me to somehow harden even more. As I again press it against her core, she pulls her mouth away, biting her lip to stop the mewls that seem to want to fall from her. But I barely give her time to catch her breath. My tongue traces the seam of her lips, dipping in as she opens her mouth, sliding against her tongue. She shifts her head, changing the angle, and my groan rumbles in my chest, echoing through her, and my fingers tense and flex, gripping her tighter. My head drops, resting in the crook of her neck, lips gently sucking at the sensitive skin just below her ear. It makes her hips jerk against me, and she rolls against me again, and again, until I have to reach down and still her hips, stopping her movements.

"God, Tris, you need to stop. I'm not going to be able to…." I trail off, panting, though she seems to know what I'm going to say. I won't be able to stop myself. She bites her lip, glancing at me through hooded lids. "You don't have to stop. I'd...I'd like to keep going if you do." she says, almost as a whisper. Currently, the only sounds besides our own breath and voices, is the light sway of the trees around us, and the sound of the lightly crashing waves that lap at our feet.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel pressured." I ask, voice low and heavy, my breath against her ear. "Trust me Tris, I really want to. But only if you're ready. I'll wait. I don't mind waiting as long as you want to." I explain, looking down at her as the moonlight casts shadows on her gorgeous face.

She threads her hands into my hair, twisting the strands through her fingertips, pulling me back until our faces are inches apart. We stare at each other, eyes burning into each other, as our hearts stutter.

"I'm sure. I want you Tobias, right here, right now." she replies.

I can't help the smile that spreads across my face as I nod and begin to reach around for the ties of her bikini top. She lifts slightly so that I can remove it. Then I go for the ties of her bikini bottoms.

She blushes when she sees the look in my eye – which I imagine looks hungry, territorial, demanding and full of desire.

"Shit, Tris, you're so beautiful," I breathe, eyes moving from head to toe, not lingering but drinking her in whole.

"Shut up," she mutters with a shy smile. "Time to get you naked too." she adds.

She doesn't have to ask me twice. Within a matter of moments, my shorts are off and my cock springs free, ready at attention for her.

She sucks in a breath and looks almost shocked at the site of it, which almost worries me. But then I see her drink me in like I had her, as she licks her lips in anticipation, and my worries quickly resolve.

Upon pulling me back down to her, I relish in the feeling of her now fully bare skin against me, and I kiss her, open-mouthed, forceful and insistent. My hand trails its way to her breast and I feel her back arch against the sand, pressing her breast into my hand even further. I caress her, brushing the palm against the peak until she stifles a moan with my mouth.

She clutches at my shoulders, fingers digging in so much that she may leave bruises, but I don't care. I move my mouth from hers, lips pressing along her skin, moving down her throat, across the slope of her breast until my mouth has replaced my hand. I draw her glorious nipple into my mouth, lightly grazing it with my teeth, laving my tongue over her. I know my mouth is hot and wet, and I hope the pull in her belly, between her thighs, is as intense as it is for me.

My hands travel over and down her body, finally pressing and soothing the flesh that is heated and needy, tracing patterns against her wet skin until her eyes squeeze shut and my name stutters from her lips like a mantra.

With my hand, I happily bring her to peak as her fingers are clutching for purchase on my shoulders, against my sweat-slicked skin, in the tangles of my hair, her back arching again as her body buzzes.

She then lays there, spent, a shuddering mass of nerves and trembling skin and weakened limbs, as her body continued to wrack with the aftershocks of her orgasm.

She looks up at me, as I clench my jaw, trying to calm my own breathing from that incredible sight and feeling on my fingers. I can't help the subtle roll of my pelvis against the side of her thigh. She swallows heavily, breath coming in fits and starts. It was amazing, but wasn't enough for either of us.

She pulls my head down to hers and sucks my lower lip into her mouth, drawing it between her teeth, watching as my pupils dilate, feeling my torso clench above her.

She reaches down and her fingers wrap around me tightly; my whole body seems to shudder in pleasure at the touch. She slides her hand down once, twice, three times. She's slow, using measured strokes until I hiss out a breath, and let out a garble of words. My mind can barely think straight and my eyes start to close as she continues the erotic groping of my length. But my eyes shoot back open as I feel her press it in the direction of the junction between her thighs. She rubs the head through her wet folds, encouraging me slide in.

So I do. I slide in gracefully, and it's like I'm finally home.

We both let out a moan of approval and somehow this feels like we've both been waiting for this for so long. When in reality, we met about a week ago.

I take it slow, allowing her to adjust. Willing myself to not let go already, although I'm sure I could without much effort, as she feels so much better than I could have ever imagined.

Skin slides against skin as I flatten myself against her, wanting to be as close as I can, while still trying to keep my weight on my arms instead of all on her. But I lift my one hand to twist her hair, hearing her breath thick and fast against my ear as I move over her repeatedly. I am surrounded by her, encompassed by her, and it's absolutely incredible. But it makes it much harder to not think about those feelings, those words that have popped up in my mind more in the last few days than they ever have in my life.

Maybe I'm not falling for her, maybe I already have.

Breaths become sighs, which turn into moans, which we try our hardest to stifle so as not to be heard by the others.

My body moves against hers lovingly, as I try to pour out all the emotion of how I feel for her, in this intimate time we share together. This isn't just a quick fuck to me. This is Tris. And she deserves so much better than that. So that's what I want to give her.

I feel her getting close and her breathing becomes even more erratic.

I lift my head slightly, wanting to watch her as she falls apart. Time somehow seems to speed up and slow down. My body thrusts against hers, slower, then faster, harder as our senses heighten and pressure builds. And as I reach for her, blindly locking fingers with her again, she lets go. Everything inside her building and building and building before she snaps and brakes into a million pieces.

The instant I see that look of ecstasy cross her face and feel her pulsating around me, her name falls from my lips as mine had fallen from hers, as my body thrust against hers one final time, and I shatter with her.

**-/-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**Wow, once again, thank you SOOO much for all the wonderful feedback in your reviews! And thank you for following/favoriting!**

**Also, a big thanks to Ractre1127, for being amazing as always! ****(Readers: I recommend checking out her Mortal Intsruments stories, they rock!)**

**As usual, I've made a little picture collage to correlate with this chapter. You can find it on my Tumblr (madisonr1129). Will post it on there tonight!**

**As for Chapter 7...hoping to be post it over the weekend!**

**:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story.**

**Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

***Day 6 on the island***

**~TRIS POV~**

I wake up to the sound of something moving by my face in the sand, only to open my eyes and see a little black crab scuttling by, until it disappears into a little hole in the sand.

I feel Tobias' strong arm around me, holding me protectively in his arms, his broad chest against my back. And for the first time on this island, his lower half against the back of me as well. He's full on spooning me now, and I am beyond thrilled about it. I love being in his arms.

But no matter how sweet and fun he is to be around, how mysterious and intriguing he is, how desirable and utterly attractive he is, I still can't believe _I_ had sex with him. I mean, it was amazing, exhilarating, beyond better than I could have imagined. Which is saying something considering I had a pretty good feeling he'd be really good at such a task. But I'm still baffled that I went through with it. I've never slept with someone within a week of knowing them. I'm no virgin, I've been with a few guys. But I guess I'm still modest and a bit conservative when it comes this stuff. Plus, _me_? _Really_? It feels like I could be in a dream, or a very realistic and cruel out of my league fantasy.

Blinking my eyes a couple of times in attempt to feel more awake, I roll and turn around, coming face to face with Tobias, who is still sleeping. I watch him, visually tracing the lines of his face, and after a moment he stirs. When he cracks an eye open, I smile bashfully. "Good morning." I whisper.

"Mmm, mornin'." he greets, his voice scratchy and impossibly sexy. He stretches before wrapping me in another hug, his arms pulling me against him tightly. His lips press against my forehead and I smile, closing my eyes again at the intimacy that feels so natural between us.

"Your hair always smells nice." he says. "And so does your skin." he adds, leading down to kiss my cheek, then my neck.

But then suddenly he pulls away slightly, his hand coming to my shoulder and I open my eyes to see him looking at me intently.

"I- Tris, we- I...about last night." he starts, and that's when my heart sinks.

Is he just now remembering what we did? Does he regret it? Is that it, he's done with me now? I can't decide if his expression is more worried or apologetic. I want to interrupt him, not allowing him to finish whatever he's trying to say. I don't know if I can bear to hear it. But I can't form any words, my mouth is suddenly extremely dry and my tongue feels like sand paper. "I'm so sorry." he continues and I swallow thickly, my eyes darting back and forth between his.

"You are?" I can't help but whisper.

"Yeah, because I-I didn't use protection. I'm really sorry Tris, I've never forgotten to use a condom before. I just, fuck- I can't believe I forgot. I was just so caught up in the moment, and well, being out here- for some reason it was different and I guess I was out of my element, I didn't even think about it until just now. I'm sorry I was so irresponsible." he explains.

Although I don't like to see him worried, and I guess part of me is disappointed neither of us had been smart enough to discuss that stuff prior to what had transpired, I can't help but feel relief. That _this_ is why he's apologizing. "Are you, by chance on birth control?" he asks tentatively. "And I know I'm clean, I've been checked, and I haven't been with anyone since then." he adds, trying to reassure me.

"Same here. And yes, I'm on the pill. I refilled my prescription before I left California. I've been taking it daily like I'm supposed to. I have about 3 weeks' worth left. So don't worry. Don't apologize." I encourage him, raising my hand so that my fingers caress his cheek. His mouth tugs at the corners and I notice his eyes smile a little.

"So, it's okay? We're okay?" he asks, a hopeful look on his face.

"Yeah, of course we are. I should have told you before about my means of birth control. I was caught up in the moment too. I'm sorry to stress you out or worry you."

"You aren't at fault Tris, it's a guy's duty to make sure that's taken care of before he goes through with anything. Or at least I think that's how it should be." he says.

"Well, that's very gentlemanly of you, but there were two of us there. So don't be so hard on yourself." I say, then I smile and pull him down to kiss my lips.

It's a soft kiss, but he lingers, his tongue just barely grazing the seam of my mouth.

"Nope, no open mouthed kisses until I brush my teeth." I chuckle and sit up.

But he playfully tugs me back down and we roll around for a moment before he pins me down again. Smiling down at me before he teases me by just barely brushing his lips along my bottom lip, then my chin, then my throat, then my chest where the top button on my flannel shirt is unbuttoned. It's ticklish, but so sensational that it's more of a guttural moan that comes from my throat than a laugh. I feel him smile against my skin as he moves lower. He nuzzles his face in my breasts and teasingly and gently tugs on my hardened nipples with his teeth through the shirt.

"It was so nice to sleep without a bra on last night. I was too embarrassed and self-conscious to take it off before now." I chuckle, but it falls short and I suck in a breath as his mouth travels down to my bare stomach, which he continues kissing down since he's lifted my shirt slightly to give him access.

"Please don't ever feel the need to where one again." he says as he looks up at me with an adorably ambitious look.

He begins to pull down my sweat pants, but leaves my simple white cotton panties on. He looks down at them admiringly and the look of excitement and eagerness causes them to moisten right before his eyes.

He leans down and presses soft kisses to the outside of the underwear, teasing me to no end.

But just as he finally hooks his fingers in the sides to pull them down, he is stopped from going further because we hear a rustling of someone walking near the shelter we're currently cuddled in.

"You kids awake in there?" Zeke asks as he playfully and softly kicks the side, which is pretty much made of branches and giant leaves woven through.

Tobias quickly but quietly lets my sweats fall back into place to re-cover me and then holds his index finger to his lips as if encourage me to remain quiet, so I do.

"Okay, let me re-phrase that. I know you're awake, I heard you making a ruckus and laughing a second ago." Zeke says with an amused chuckle. "I know it's early, but whenever you're willing to come out here, we really need to have another go at some fishing. But I'll give you a few minutes to uh, finish waking up. Just don't take too long." he says and we hear him walk away.

"Wow, that was close...do you- do you think he heard us last night?" I ask quietly, a bit embarrassed.

He shrugs. "Doubtful. But he may still make assumptions. We do tend to find alone time together pretty often and he teases me about it. He knows I like you and keeps trying to convince me that you like me too." he adds, as if what he's admitting isn't that big of a deal. But I can't help the flutter in my chest at his words.

"Well, he has good instincts then." I say with a small shy smile, in other words confirming that I do indeed like him. Although we've pretty well shown that to each other physically now, and through many other compliments and comments, it's still kind of nice to somewhat more formally admit it to him.

Tobias looks at me and smiles with yearning. "I wish we could stay in here all day." he says, sliding up to kiss my lips softly again.

"Me too. But I guess we have to find a way to eat." I say, and as if on cue, my stomach rumbles loudly with hunger.

He chuckles and sits up, grabbing his bag to pull out a change of clothes.

"Let's catch some fish then, I promise I shall not let you go hungry." he says with assurance.

I smile and sit up to grab my clothes as well.

We begin to change, much less shy about stripping down now. After all, our bodies are no longer a secret to one another. But it doesn't stop me from taking an occasional appreciative glance at his perfection. Especially when I get my first glimpse of his cute bare butt.

Once we're done, we exit the little hut and shield our eyes from the rising sun. We join Zeke and Uriah near the fire, as they seem to be the only two awake so far.

"Good morning you two." Uriah says with a grin.

"Breakfast?" Zeke offers the satchel full of blackberries.

"Thanks." Tobias says, retrieving the bag and setting it between us so that we can share.

After the others join us, we spend the beginning portion of the early morning chatting and discussing plans for the day. Deciding that there isn't really much else on this island, so we will spend today here fishing and relaxing. Then tomorrow or the next day, we'll head back to the main campsite with Amar and the others, but we'll take a new route just in case we come across anything good over the new territory. Who knows where Eric and Nita are, probably still off exploring somewhere.

After we're done snacking on our berries and the last of the crackers, we decide we should begin fishing now that the sun is up just enough so that we'll have enough light to see what we're doing.

Marlene and Christina say they will tend the fire and begin another big "SOS" with rocks, in case search crews were to approach from this side of the island, it'd help them know we're here.

But knowing fish is the best source of food we could get out here, the rest attempt with that feat. I have my net and Uriah is attempting a similar method with a bag. He's hoping to sneak up on them and slowly scoop them out of the water. Will is trying with a homemade fishing pole of sorts. He took a long stick, the bit of twine we had pulled off a parcel from the lower portion of the plane that was with the checked luggage. He then used a safety pin for a hook and a blackberry as bait. He's very creative. Zeke has taken a liking to Tobias' spear idea and borrowed the knife to sharpen a sturdy branch as well.

After a long two hours though, none of us are having any luck. So I decide to try my hand at foraging other edible sea life instead. I know a bit about shellfish and what not, since it's so predominant on our seafood restaurant menu at the hotel. Even just our cioppino has a variety of things in it. But I've never attempted at finding such things in the wild. So I'm crossing my fingers.

I go several yards away and search the rocks. One thing that I do find almost immediately, is seaweed. I don't know why I didn't think about it before, but I know it's edible. Or at least this kind. I know I probably shouldn't gather any that's loose and washed ashore, as it may not be as clean. So I gather some that clings more lively to the rocks. Much to my surprise, I find sea lettuce as well.

Right as I resurface from the water from diving down a bit to see what's down there, I hear hoots and hollers coming from the guys. I turn and look in their direction as I wipe the water from my face and see Tobias grinning with a big silverfish looking fish stuck on his spear.

"Hot damn, you got one!" Zeke yells again, clapping Tobias on the back excitedly. The proud and hopeful smile that crosses Tobias' face as he looks at me makes my heart melt.

I know how frustrated and discouraged he has been getting these past couple hours of having no luck. I run in his direction and before I can think about it, I'm jumping into his arms. Thankfully he's strong and sturdy, because he catches me without falling as my legs wrap around his waist and arms around his neck. He has one arm around my waist as well, his hand now holding me quite close to my butt, while his other hand is still occupying the spear and fish. I give him a big congratulatory kiss, despite our audience. I'm too thrilled for him, and I know everyone is equally delighted. This first caught fish is more than just a single fish for us to share and eat. This fish gives us _hope_. If he can catch one, he can catch more. And hopefully the rest of us can too.

The longer we're stuck on this island, the more it really sinks in that we're _still_ here, no search and rescue teams in sight yet. We've managed to keep things positive, rarely talking about "what-ifs", or if/when rescuers will come for us. Instead, we just talk as if we're a group of friends on vacation, getting to know each other better. Or we talk about what we can do around here to help us stay fed and protected from the elements. But in reality, I know were all worried in the back of our minds. It's been about a week. How long will they look for us before giving up? Have they already? I'm sure we're all thinking it. So when something like this happens, when we find a new source of food or a new idea for shelter, it's a big confidence boost in our abilities to live life out here for an extended period of time.

As my lips find his and he kisses back with as much fervor, it's not long before we hear the slow growing "ooooohs..." and "aaaahhhs..." resonate from our friends followed by their loud laughter.

We pull away from each other grinning at one another and he gently sets me down.

"You owe me $20 when we get rescued." Zeke says to his brother.

"And you owe me $10." Marlene says to Christina, as they've come up to the shore by now to join in this little mini celebration.

"Are you seriously making bets?" Will asks.

"Do I even want to know?" I ask, wondering if I'll regret asking at all.

"She and I bet on who would catch the first fish." Marlene says with a shrug.

"And we bet on how long it'd take for you two to admit you're hooking up." Uriah says, sighing since he lost the bet.

"Seriously?" Marlene asks with a chuckle, playfully swatting at Uriah's arm.

He shrugs. "I say they'd hold off on confirming it for the first two weeks. Zeke said it'd be no later day 10.

"We're not _hooking up_." I speak up, and I feel everyone's eyes on me. I blush, which isn't really backing up my statement. I mean, I guess we are. But it's more than that, at least it is to me. And I'm pretty sure it is to Tobias.

I reluctantly glance to him to see his reaction, and he has a small smile as his eyes are trained on me. He knows what I mean by that statement. He knows I'm looking at this as more than just a brief meaningless hook-up.

"Let's leave these lovebirds to do what they wish without making bets or getting teased, okay?" Christina suggests to the others and Will nods in agreement with her.

"Yeah, thankfully Four caught us some grub. Let's catch some more and then we'll feast!" Will adds.

"Alright, fine. But don't feel the need to hide this around us, it's cool." Zeke says to Tobias and me as he picks his spear off the ground and steps back into the water.

"He's right." Uriah says. "You'll make cute babies one day too." he claims as he picks up his satchel and attempts to get back in the water, but Tobias playfully threatens him with the spear he still holds.

"Whoa there!" Uriah says with a nervous chuckle as he shuffles in the other direction.

Tobias laughs and then looks back down to me.

"What's that in your hands? Seaweed?" he asks.

"Yeah, I found a bunch of it. It's edible. I'm hoping to forage for some shellfish too." I explain as I begin towards the rocks a little and he follows. "I think I may have seen some muscles or clams over there." I point to the rocks in the slightly deeper water.

"Want me to come with you?" he asks.

"That's okay, you've obviously had some luck fishing, just keep at it." I say.

"Well, Uriah's new technique seems to be scaring the fish off. So I think I'll try for more over here anyway." he says and begins to attempt at more fishing closer to where I'm at.

We spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon attempting to fish and look for more edibles. Although it's still extremely difficult, it seems that there are definitely more fish out this morning than there were last night. So that's more encouraging.

After a while, we decide to wrap it up and go enjoy our catch. It was exhausting, but we were able to come out with 4 fish. However, I can't take any credit. I didn't catch any of them. Tobias caught two, and Zeke and Will each caught one. But I did get a large handful of muscles and some oysters.

We go back to the fire-pit and prepare the fish to toss it over the flame to cook with some onion root, along with my findings.

The smell of it cooking is incredible and reminds me how much I've missed having an actual cooked meal. It's been over a week since I've had one, getting by on leftover snacks and whatever plants we can forage. I never thought I'd appreciate it so much. The delicious aroma seems to effect the others as the appreciative noises come from them as well.

Christina had suggested we get a little dressed up to celebrate this first real meal we've had in days. It seems kind of silly to me, but whatever, most of the others seem to want to go along with it.

So as the guys continue to cook and get dressed in the jeans and button up shirts or knit sweaters, Christina and Marlene usher me to the biggest shelter to change in. I am put into a long strapless tropical looking maxi dress that Christina had. They form my hair into an intricate braid and put on a little make up. But I insist they don't do much, as I'm not used to it and simply don't prefer it. Thankfully they agree sandals are fine, so that's what I put on.

They dress up similarly, but are both in knee length sundresses and sandals. But they wear a little more makeup and even put on perfume. I chuckle to myself as I watch them primp and finally finish getting ready.

"Can we go out there now?" I ask.

"Wait, one last thing." Christina says, taking a flower she had set aside, and places it in my hair above my ear.

"Okay, done." she says with a big smile, showing off her bright red lipstick.

We exit the hut like structure and see that the guys have rolled over a small sized boulder that's flat on one side. It seems to work great as a sort of table where they're portioning out the cooked meal.

Tobias glances up, his jaw almost seems to drop. I feel shy and am rooted to the spot. I still feel silly getting dolled up considering our circumstances, but the look he gives me makes me feel like it was worth it. He makes me feel pretty, and special, and admired.

I feel a little shove, pushing me in his direction. I look back to see Christina still nudging me forward with a smirk.

I give her a half-hearted glare, but I'm too enthralled by Tobias to really mind her. So I turn back to him and offer him a smile. Then I sit at the large rock, leaving him the spot beside me to my left.

"You look beautiful. As always." he whispers in my ear, before kissing my cheek and looking back at the food before us.

"I know we're all starving and are ready to dig in. But beforehand, let's all raise our bottles of water and make a toast." Will suggests.

"To surviving a crash landing." Christina says, offering a smile specifically to Will.

"And to surviving on this island like Bear Grylls." Zeke adds.

"And to you guys for feeding us." I encourage, looking at the guys, but my eyes obviously linger on Tobias.

"You've done most of the feeding so far Tris. Finding us all that stuff in the forest, and now all this stuff." Tobias says, gesturing to the seaweed and other things I gathered.

"To all of you, for helping to keep this experience as positive as possible. You give me hope and help me not to breakdown every day. I really appreciate all of you, and consider you more than just co-workers or co-survivors." Marlene says, surprising me slightly with her emotional words. We all agree and thank her as well. We're all a team and have all supported and helped out these past several days.

As we eat, it's more satisfying than I expected. The fish is more flavorful than we thought it would be, and again, just having some warm food feels nourishing. We eat every last bit and even though it still wasn't an enormous amount of food, It's filling. Our stomachs don't seem to take as much to fill these days, and we all look a bit thinner than we did when we had left the airport. Plus, all the hiking and hard work has added more muscle, at least for me, I notice a slight difference.

As evening approaches, Tobias and I announce we're going to go refill our drinking water. The last fresh water we found wasn't too far into the forested area, maybe a 5 minute walk. Plus, we know our way there and back easily. And thankfully it isn't really much of a hike either, so we don't bother to change clothes or shoes.

The others all hand over their empty bottles and thank us for offering to go. But I think they know we're looking for a small amount of time alone as well, and they seem happy to give it to us.

He and I walk hand in hand into the vegetation. Once we refill the bottles, we re-cap them and put them in our bags. But as he stands to throw his bag back over his shoulder, I grab it from his hand and drop it to the ground again. He looks at me confused for a moment, but then my lips are on his. My hands cradle his face as my tongue seeks his.

I don't know what comes over me when I'm around him, never have I been so forward or passionate about someone. But I guess that's because it wasn't Tobias before.

He reciprocates immediately, kissing me until I'm breathless. Only when we pull away for air do I realize he's backed me up against a nearby tree and one of my legs is wrapped around him. I press myself against him and feel that he's hard through his pants as he begins to kiss my neck and nip at my earlobe.

"I so badly just want to take you right here against this tree." he says, in the deep gruff voice that comes out when he's caught up in the moment like this.

"So do it." I say before I can stop myself.

"Really? Are you sure?" he asks as his hand trails up the leg that I still have hitched around him.

"Yes. I want you too. Please." I say, not caring that I'm practically begging. His hand has now reached my center and moves the panties aside to stroke his fingers through my wet folds.

"So wet. I love it." he whispers in my ear.

"I can't help it, being around you." I reply as I begin to unzip his pants, helping his extremely hard cock to spring free. He moans against my shoulder as I begin to stroke him.

Then he reaches up and pulls my underwear completely off, stuffs them in his pocket for now and bunches my dress around my waist. He lifts me and both my legs instinctively wrap around him as he slides into me.

We both let out a moan at the sensation and I practically bite his shoulder as he begins to thrust in and out of me. My back remains firmly against the tree to help him for leverage, and it just causes even more pleasure.

"You feel...so good..." he says, panting against my neck.

"You...do...too..." I reply between breaths.

After a few minutes of thrusting, he begins to kiss me more deeply and as his tongue strokes mine, I quickly fall apart, my walls clenching and pulsating around him as my body trembles from head to toe.

His thrusts turn a bit more erratic at that point and I know he's close, so I encourage it as my lips go to his neck and throat. I nip and kiss at his collar bone where his shirt remains slightly unbuttoned. Then I feel him release inside me and his guttural moan seems to reverberate through me as he does so.

He then pulls me away from the tree, still holding on to me, as he turns so that his back is to the tree instead and slides down to a sitting position. I'm now on his lap, my legs still wrapped around him, and him still inside me. He holds me close, our foreheads together as we attempt to catch our breath.

"You're incredible." I tell him in what comes out as a whisper.

"You are Tris. You..." He seems to be flustered and unsure how to get the words out. "Fuck- I can't even believe how amazing you are. That you allow us to be together like this. Thank you." he says.

"Thank _you_. I don't think I truly knew what a good orgasm was before you." I blurt out with a chuckle, slightly embarrassed by my comment after I say it, but it doesn't make it any less true.

"Wow, talk about a compliment." he chuckles as well. "Well, now that you do know. It'd be my pleasure to give you many, many more."

**-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N:**

**Sorry, this got posted a day later than I expected, yet again. But will try my best to get the next chapter up over the upcoming weekend. **

**If you'd like to check out my Tumblr, I'm at madisonr1129**

**Not only do I just post random fun stuff, but I add small picture collages to go with the chapters of this story. The chapter 7 collage will go up sometime tonight.**

**Also, I'm sorry I'm unable to respond to all your reviews. But please know that I appreciate each and every one and they're extremely encouraging. You're all so generous with your kind words, and they really help me to move forward with the story. **

**Last but not least, thank you to Ractre1127 for all your help, as always! **

**Until next time, have a good week everyone! **


	8. Chapter 8

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 8:**

***Day 10 on the island***

**~~Tobias POV~~**

"Any more vines up there?" Uriah asks Marlene from where she organizes the greenery we had gathered.

"No, but we have these." Marlene replies, holding up long, somewhat sturdy looking leaves and some roots.

"Okay, let's try those." Uriah suggests and she hands a few pieces over, which he begins to intertwine with the net. Over these last few days, we've successfully built a bamboo raft. We confirmed it floats well, and could hold 1-2 people. But decided it needed a sail, which has proven to be more difficult to make with our limited supplies.

"I'm going to take a break and find us some food." Tris says and stands, wiping the sand off her legs as she does.

"Are you sure? The water is probably freezing today." I say as she stands next to me in shorts and a sweatshirt, which she begins removing to reveal her bikini underneath. It's been cold these last couple days, even more than usual. The occasional bouts of rain hasn't helped either.

"I'll be fine, I have a feeling I'll find something good today. I imagine sometimes bad weather brings out more sea critters. You'll just have to help warm me up when I get back." she says with a smirk and leans down to peck my lips.

I smile at that, loving the thought of snuggling up with her to keep warm.

Tris and I have had our occasional intimate moments, especially the two _very_ intimate moments...on the small private beach and against that tree. Although we haven't really had a chance to find appropriate privacy to do such things since then, especially since there are more of us here on this side of the island now, it's still been wonderful. We continue to grow closer to one another, finding ourselves acting more and more like a real couple.

We had enjoyed the solitude of the beach on the other side of the island. But knew we needed to get back to Amar and the rest of the group. Not only because we'd likely have a better chance at surviving if we were together, but also because they were probably worried we had been gone so long. Plus, maybe they needed us. So we had hiked back.

Not only were they happy to see us when we returned, they were excited to see all the plants and blackberries we brought back as well. Thankfully we found more on our way back, so stocked up well. Still no sign of Eric or Nita. So yesterday, Will, Christina and Zeke went out to look for them. They insisted they wouldn't go far and feel comfortable on their own out there now.

So the rest of us have stuck back to continue improving our shelters, keep fishing and finding food, and have been working on completing this raft.

As I watch Tris' retreating form approach the water, I admire not only the way her bikini bottoms fit snugly to her perfect bottom, and I love the sight of her bare legs and back. But I also think about how I admire her strength and intelligence. Never have I witnessed someone so determined, smart and quick to think at times like this. She's been incredible.

I'm pulled back from my thoughts as I feel a tickle on my cheek and slap at it, assuming it was a bug. But I turn to see Uriah ticking my face with the tip of a palm frond.

"What the fuck?" I ask with a small laugh at my ridiculous friend that never ceases to make me laugh.

"You're getting distracted checking out your girl, get back to work." he teases.

I'd like to scold him for telling me what to do. But I can't, not at the way he teases with that smirk, like he knows how I really feel about her. How it's a lot more than just a crush. Plus, I really like the sound of _my girl_, as he put it.

None the less, I toss a pebble at him which hits him in the chest, causing a mock shriek to come from him.

For the next short while, we continue our attempts at a sail. But I regularly look up and check on Tris. She seems to be doing well, determined to spear whatever it is she has her eye on as she remains calm and moves stealthily through the waist deep water.

But soon I'm alarmed by a short howl of pain, then a call for help. It's a female voice coming from just inside the forested area. I turn to look at Uriah, but forgot he went off to help Marlene gather more bamboo a ways away. Amar and the others seem to have heard it too, but are further away than me. So I stand and go in the direction it came from. I look over my shoulder to check on Tris again, and she seems fine. In fact, she seems oblivious to the shout the rest of us has heard.

As I step through the greenery, looking desperately for the source of the worried voice calling for help.

That's when I see Nita collapsed on the ground. She's in shorts and a bikini top, a backpack on, and her arm still in the sling Tris made her. But she seems to have tripped and fallen, hurting her leg or foot or something.

"Nita?" I ask, surprised.

"Four! I'm so glad you heard me, I hurt my ankle." she says.

"Here, I'll help you up. Where's Eric? Have you seen Will, Zeke and Christina?" I ask, reaching under her arm to assist her in standing.

"No, haven't seen them since we originally left. Eric was with me up until this morning. I woke up and he was gone. I've been trying to find my way back here for hours. I was so excited when I noticed I was almost here, I started to run. But I tripped over that root and twisted my ankle." she says.

At that moment, as much as I don't care for Nita, I actually feel somewhat bad for her. Not only because of her hurt arm, and now ankle as well, but also because Eric seems to have left her all on her own? What the hell kind of guy does that?

"I-I don't know if I can walk on it." she says as I had attempted to carry her weight and support her as she walked on just her good leg. I see a tear stroll down her cheek and at that moment, I feel I just need to hurry and help her get to the others. I'm sure they can help her out with the injuries and keep her company, since Eric ditched her.

After a couple more feet of hobbling, I sigh deeply and just reach down to pick her up. I carry her with one arm under her legs, the other around her back.

I come out onto the sand and see that pretty much everyone has rushed over by now to see what's going on, and Tris is coming back out of the water, looking confused as to what all the commotion is about.

I notice she has her little handmade net bag with what appears to be some lobsters in it. But more importantly, I notice the look she's giving me. Her brows are furrowed in confusion, probably wondering why I'm carrying Nita, who I notice now has her arms around my neck to help steady herself.

"Nita! Are you okay?" Lauren asks, surprised to see her fellow flight attendant.

"I'm alright, I got lost since Eric wasn't there when I woke up this morning. I was coming back up here, but tripped and twisted my ankle. But thankfully Four heard me and saved me. Who knows how long I would have been stuck there if it weren't for him. I could have starved and died." she says, still a few quiet tears trickle down her face, but she offers me a small thankful smile and leans up to kiss me on the cheek. "You're the best, thank you Tobias." she says.

"No need for that." I say, pulling my cheek away to imply I don't want her kisses. "We all heard you shout for help, I was just the closest, so I got to you first." I explain to her before looking back at Tris as she approaches the group of us.

She's biting the inside of her cheek, still the look of frustration and confusion dawning her beautiful face. But she doesn't say anything. We collectively begin walking towards the main campsite area about a 50 yards away, towards the warmth of the fire.

I'm hoping by my little explanation of the situation, Tris understands that's all this is with me holding Nita like this. Thankfully it seems like she does, but still obviously doesn't care for the interaction. Especially the way Nita is still looking at me admiringly as if I'm her hero.

"Eric just left you?" Amar asks Nita.

"Yeah, I guess. I woke up and couldn't find him anywhere." she says sadly.

"Will, Zeke and Christina didn't find you?" Harrison questions, just as I had a few minutes ago.

"No, never saw or heard them." she says. "I-I was alone all day, I was s-so scared." she stutters, trying to catch her breath so as not to cry further.

"Glad you made it back alive." Tris tells Nita. "I'm going to change and then cook up these lobsters." she says and brushes past us. She drops the bag of lobsters by the fire before setting off to the little shelter that she and I share.

"Hey Al, you mind taking her from me? Maybe set her down over there by the fire?" I ask Al who stands nearby.

"Uh, yeah, sure." he says awkwardly. I hand Nita over to him and she gives me a sad puppy dog looking face, as if she's sad I'm not carrying her anymore.

"Tobias, could you help me wrap my ankle?" she asks with a hopeful look.

"I think Lauren and Amar can help with that." I say and walk away towards our shelter.

Just as I crawl in, Tris is ready to crawl out. She's fully clothed now, in skinny jeans, hoodie sweatshirt and converse. I don't know how she gets dressed so fast.

"Oh, hey." she says, surprised to see me.

"You okay?" I ask, making her pause before exiting.

"Yeah, why?" she says, trying to act like nothing is bothering her.

"Tris, I saw the way you were looking at us. Trust me, I didn't want to be carrying her or to get that kind of attention from her. She hurt her ankle and needed my help. But that was all, and Al took over for me."

"I'm sorry, I probably seem like an annoying, jealous girlfriend. I mean, not that I'm your, ya know. I just-." she says, shaking her head, seemingly annoyed and maybe even embarrassed with herself for not gathering her words how she intended.

I can't help my smile at the adorable way she stammers, and simply because I'm delighted that she used the term girlfriend. My big smile seems to encourage her though. It seems to be just the bit of confidence she needed. Because before I can appease her, she continues.

"Ya know what, no. I _am_ kind of like your girlfriend, right? I mean, we're obviously in a weird situation, so it's different, I guess. But to be completely honest, I didn't like her being so chummy with you. I want you to myself. I mean, a part of me feels bad for her. But I still don't want her hanging on you and kissing you...thinking there might be a chance." she says with an adorable scowl that turns into more of a pouty face as she leans up and attempts at scrubbing my cheek with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, as if to get Nita's kiss off me.

"Damn straight. Whether we're on this island or not, you're my only girl, Tris. Trust me, I don't want her in anyway, or anyone else for that matter. If she tries to hit on me further, I'll make sure she knows I'm taken."

Tris smiles and bites her lip, which does nothing but turn me on.

"I'll make sure she knows it too." Tris says as a threat, but she chuckles at herself.

I grin at her and we share a sweet kiss before joining the others.

"By the way, how the hell did you catch lobsters?" I ask as we make our way back to the campfire.

"They were just chilling under the coral, I saw one of their tails sticking out. It turned out there were at least a dozen. It took a while, it takes a lot of patience. But I ended up spearing 4 of them." she says with a shrug. I laugh lightly as her nonchalant attitude, as if hand spearing lobsters in the ocean is no big deal to her.

We all gather around the campfire as the sun begins to set. The food cooking over the fire smells amazing and we're anxious to eat.

Nita tells our group of her and Eric's adventures, and how he was actually nice most of the time. But that he got annoyed with her sometimes when she couldn't keep up.

After Tris flips the lobsters, she settles back down next to me and I drape my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to me. She rests her head on my chest and looks up at me. The flickering flames dance across her features and I admire how her eyes twinkle as they smile up at me. I lean down to kiss her lightly and rub my hand up and down her arm to help keep her warm.

I had forgot we were listening to Nita, until I noticed she had abruptly stopped talking. I guess she had halted at the site of Tris and me. Which causes me to smile. I hadn't shown this affection to her for the sake of Nita, it just came naturally. We're always like this with each other now a days. But I guess it's nice for her to see us like this. For her to know Tris and I are more than just friends.

"You were saying?" Lauren presses, encouraging Nita to get back on track with her story about Eric's attempt at climbing a tree.

Nita shakes her head to gather her bearings and continues.

As the evening progresses, we continue to chat and eat the delicious food. We decide it's one of the best things we've eaten here so far, and hope we have a chance to catch more of them.

Thankfully Nita lays off with the flirty behavior. She seems to have accepted that Tris and I are together. But she still doesn't seem happy about it, occasionally giving us jealous looks, and still every so often flashing me a little cleavage with a wink when Tris isn't looking, but I'm good at quickly looking away, making it clear I'm not interested.

After we eat, we gather around and play cards for a while. But once it starts to get late, we all decide to wrap it up and get some sleep.

When we all get up and brush ourselves off, Nita does the same. She stands firmly and stretches, then grabs her shoulder bag and water, then begins to walk towards the shelters.

"Where am I going to sleep? Who wants to make room for 'lil 'ol me?" she says with an annoying giggle.

"Ankle feeling better?" Tris asks, ignoring Nita's previous question. Pointing out Nita's obvious mistake of no longer putting on the 'hurt ankle' appearance.

Nita pauses mid-way and looks at us in shock. She obviously didn't notice that she is walking perfectly fine, no appearance of pain or even a slight limp.

Was she seriously faking that whole thing? Or was it just not nearly as bad as she led on?

"Uh-um, yep. It feels much better, I think the wrap really helped." she replies, swallowing hard.

"Hm. Wish it always worked out that conveniently." I say.

"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty lucky. So uh, is that yours there?" she asks, referring to the lean-to style shelter near a clump of palm trees to our left.

"Yup. That's mine and Tris'." I say, lifting the hand of Tris' that I was holding and pressing it to my lips so that I can kiss it. She seems slightly annoyed at Nita still, but offers me a small smile as I seem to relieve some tension from her. "I think Al and Lauren have space in theirs, you could ask them. Otherwise you might just have to stick it out under the stars tonight." I say.

"Oh. Right." Nita replies sarcastically, as if I'm joking. But Tris and I just walk away to mind our own business.

"She's so immature." Tris says quietly to me with a small laugh as we enter our little hut.

Once inside, we change into sweats to be more comfortable and to stay warm. We gather under our blankets and snuggle up.

We share a long sweet kiss, but don't allow it to escalate. We know this isn't the right time or place, we would feel uncomfortable doing anything too physical with so many people around.

So after she settles her cheek on my chest and my arm is wrapped around her, we lay there in silence. Her eyes are closed, but her hand is up my sweatshirt where she softly rubs my chest and abs soothingly. I close my eyes and relish in the feeling of her hands on me, so sexy, but also so comforting and loving.

As her breathing evens out, I open my eyes and stare up at the small bits of sky that I can peek at through the branches above us. I think about this whole experience so far, and where it's headed, if anywhere. I think about how being with Tris this whole time has made everything so much easier. Sometimes I almost forget we're stranded. I forget the complications and struggles we've been through, or that we'll likely have to endure. She has made such an impression on me, I no longer deny myself how much I have fallen in love with her. I only hope she feels the same way, or that there is a possibility she could someday. The way she looks at me, the way she kisses me, and the couple of times we were able to find a bit of privacy and be intimate...it all gives me hope. Never have I had someone make me feel so special. I don't know if love is what she feels, but whatever it is, I know it's strong. I feel it. And I like it.

Eventually I drift off to sleep, my last thoughts being...is it too soon to tell her how I feel?

**-/-/-/-**

The next morning, we go through what seems like routine now. Cleaning ourselves up, brushing our teeth, put on hot water to make fuchsia tea. In the early afternoon, Tris and I wash our clothes in the water and hang them up to dry. We re-organize our supplies and hunt for today's food.

Once all that is done, we go set off for the small barrier of rocks to the side, where we can lounge and read together quietly, away from everyone else.

After a half hour, we've finished the last of our books. She closes it and sets it to the side. Then looks out to the endless looking ocean.

"Can you believe it's been 11 days?" she asks disappointedly, it comes out almost as a whisper.

"I know, it almost seems unreal. Like any minute I could wake up from a dream." I reply.

"More like a nightmare." she corrects me with a scoff.

"I wouldn't consider it a nightmare." I affirm.

"What? How could you say that?" she questions, truthfully curious. She seems a bit baffled at my comment.

"Tris, this whole ordeal hasn't been what I would have expected. And it hasn't been exactly sunshine and roses the whole time." I begin, looking back into her eyes so she sees how serious I am with my words. "But to me, it hasn't been all that bad. I mean, if I look at the bright side, I have been living on this gorgeous beach." I say, referring to the white sand and crustal teal blue water before us. It really looks like a tropical paradise. "With a gorgeous girl." I add with emphasis so she hopefully understands that _she_ is the reason this hasn't been a nightmare.

"Tobias..." she admonishes with a blush and looks down at her lap, still unsure of how to take a compliment. But I gently tilt her head so that she'll look at me.

"Tris, I wasn't unhappy before all this. I may not have had a significant other, or been in love or anything. But I enjoyed life for the most part. I was content. I was happy with my job, and was excited to travel. But I always still felt like something, or _someone_, was missing. Even now, under our circumstances...at the end of the day, I realize _you're_ all I really want. When all the confusion clears and I think about my life, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have beside me but you."

At my words, a big smile crosses her face and I see how much my words mean to her. I'm beyond grateful she takes me seriously and seems to understand how deep my feelings go for her.

"I know what you mean." she admits as I take her hand in mine. "I mean, these have been the scariest days of my life, and a part of me is heartbroken at the thought that our family and friends probably think we're dead. And honestly, I'm constantly worried that we won't all make it." she says and by now her smile has gone and she looks down at our hands briefly. But she takes a deep breath and looks back up at me before continuing. "On the other hand, I thought I knew what happiness was, but you've proven me wrong. When I just focus on me and you...it's the happiest I've even been with someone."

My heart swells at her words and I'm so ecstatic that she feels so strongly.

Before I can reply, Johanna calls out to us, so we look in her direction. She points out the large fish she is struggling with, and apparently needs our help with.

"I'll be right back." I say to Tris and stand up. But I bend down and hold the side of her face, my fingers tangling slightly in her hair. I look over her gorgeous face with what I know is complete adoration. I kiss her gently and then whisper three words in her ear that I never thought I, Tobias Eaton, would utter to someone. "I love you."

It does nothing but excite me to reveal those feelings. I don't know why it felt like the right moment, but it did. I thought for sure when I decided to blurt them out, I'd be a nervous wreck, but I'm not. However, I don't want her to feel obligated to reciprocate those words, and don't want her to feel awkward or uncomfortable. So I kiss her forehead and stand again, heading towards the campfire where Johanna uses both hands to keep the fish from wriggling out of her arms.

I'm halfway there when I feel something collide with my back, causing me to stumble and almost fall to the ground.

I realize Tris had stealthily ran after me, jumping onto my back, legs and arms wrapped around me. Nobody else is around or paying attention except Johanna who just gives us a knowing smile.

Tris remains clinging to my back and kisses my neck several times before whispering back into my ear.

"You didn't give me a chance to reply." she chides and I can feel her smile where she nuzzles my cheek.

"I wanted to tell you, but didn't want you to feel obligated to say it back. I'd rather you just say it back if and when you're ready."

She lifts her small soft hand and holds my jaw to make me face her and she looks into my eyes with a delighted smile.

"I love you Tobias." she says.

"Yeah?" I can't help but say with a grin.

"I do. I don't care how long we've known each other. Like you said, we've spent more time together than most couples after a year of being together, maybe more. You're amazing and wonderful and I love you so fucking much."

I pull her around to cling to the front of me instead and we kiss long and hard. So much so that I know I need to pull away if I don't want to embarrass myself and get a hard-on in front of Johanna and anyone else. So I reluctantly pull away, grinning like crazy. We rest our foreheads together and she looks at me intently, breathing heavy.

We're interrupted of our moment as we hear the chatter of familiar voices come towards the beach. I set Tris so that she's standing on the ground and we walk to where Zeke, Will and Christina re-join us. They seem okay, but seem concerned about something.

"Hey guys, welcome back." Tris says. Christina comes up and hugs us, happy to be back with us after a couple days away.

"We actually need to go back, but with your help, and some more supplies." Zeke says on their behalf, as if something has happened and they already have a plan for it.

"Why? What's up?" I ask, concerned now.

"We found Eric, he's fallen into a crevice like hole. We can't get him out." Will explains.

"We don't know where Nita is. Apparently Eric was just walking around waiting and scoping the area while letting her sleep a little more, and fell. He went unconscious, and when he woke up, he yelled for help. But nobody showed up, so he gave up. But a couple hours later, he heard our voices as we neared, and he called out for our help. Thankfully we heard him." Christina says.

"So he's still in there?" I ask.

"Yeah, we can't reach him with our arms, and his leg is hurt, so he can't even attempt to climb. So we need to gather rope or towels or something, and a bunch of us have to go back and pull him out." Zeke says as he leads the way towards the group to inform every one of the situation.

We gather around and make a quick plan of how Zeke, Will, Christina, Uriah, Marlene, Amar, Al, Tris and I, will all go. We decide all that extra help may be needed, especially since he may need to be carried back.

So on that thought, we quickly tie blankets to bamboo to create a make-shift stretcher.

As we gather our supplies and get ready to head in his direction, we hear a scream. I recognize it as Nita's. I can't help my eye roll. Which I only feel mildly guilty of. But this time it was more of a full-on scream than a shout for help like before. This sounded more realistic.

Me and the others exchange a glance and then rush over to see what's wrong with her. She's stumbling out of the leafy hut, but she seems to have an extremely swollen face.

"Oh my-" Lauren starts, but doesn't know how to finish. She looks over Nita's face and attempts at brushing her finger across it. But Nita winces and pulls away.

"What happened?" Tris asks.

"I don't know, I woke up like this. I think something bit me!" she says through sobs.

Amar comes and takes a closer look, as does Will. They determine they think she's right. But we have no idea what to do for it, other than give her aspirin for the pain, or to keep a cool rag on it. But who knows what will happen, the whole right side of her face is red and seems to have swollen up, closing part of her eye. It almost looks like a terrible huge bee sting.

After a few minutes of helping her the best we can, consoling her and getting her settled by the fire, Lauren and Johanna encourage us to go get Eric and they'll look after her.

So we do. We gather our stuff and the stretcher. I share a brief look and a small smile with Tris before taking her hand in mine, and we head off back into the island greenery, following Will's lead to go save Eric.

This has definitely turned out to be an interesting day so far.

**-/-/-/-**

**A/N- **

**Once again, thank you for the wonderful reviews, follows and favorites. You're amazing! It gives me a ton of encouragement, so I really appreciate it!**

**Were at about the half-way mark of this story. But don't worry, once this story wraps up, I have another I'm ready to get going on. I really enjoy writing and am full of ideas, so I'll keep the stories coming as long as there are readers interested in them! **

**Thank you again to my dear friend Ractre1127, not only for the beta work, but for assisting with all my indecisive nonsense! :)**

**Last but not least, want to see a picture collage to correlate with this chapter? Come find me on Tumblr! (madisonr1129)**

**Have a good week everyone!**


	9. Chapter 9

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 9:**

***Day 11 on the island***

**~~Tris POV~~**

"Can you believe how swollen her face got?" Uriah asks as we begin our journey into the thick tropical greenery.

"I know, I kind of feel bad. But I also want to laugh." Zeke comments with a chuckle.

"She seems so prone to getting hurt." Christina says.

Tobias and I share a look, almost rolling our eyes at the thought of how we found out that Nita was faking the ankle injury. Although there was no mistaking the arm injury, or that spider bite.

"I guess that's karma for you." I say without thinking. Although I said it more to myself, I realize a couple of them heard me and they laugh in agreement.

After trekking for about 2/3 of a mile, Zeke, Will and Christina start to notice we're getting closer to where Eric was.

"I know it's coming up, I remember this tree." Christina says.

"Yeah, and this patch of flowers." Zeke adds.

"I think he's just down this way." Will says, leading them around a small bend where the ground begins to crack in several areas. "Be careful, some of these holes are pretty big and drop down pretty far."

We make our way, watchful of every step as the ground indeed does pose many obstacles. Tobias follows behind me as we move forward in single file. At one point, I stumble over a stone that was just barely sticking out from the ground, but before I actually trip, Tobias stables me with his hands on my waist. I look over my shoulder and offer him a smile.

"Thanks." I whisper. He seems to be somewhat concerned to ensure I'm alright, but when he sees my reaction and knows I'm okay, he offers a small smile back.

"I'm over here." I hear Eric shout off to our left. He must have heard us coming.

"We're here to get you out now man." Will says reassuringly.

"Take long enough?" he asks from what looks to be about a 12 to 15 foot drop.

"We could just leave you in there ya know." Tobias says.

"Yeah what do you expect? That's got to be a mile or two round trip." Christina says.

"Okay then, what's the plan?" Eric asks.

"We'll toss the rope down and you'll have to harness yourself in it. Then we'll all pull you up." Amar explains.

Eric nods in acknowledgement and I notice how he has a leg outstretched, presumably the hurt one. I remember Zeke mentioning something about a possible broken leg from the fall.

Al tosses one end of the rope down, just as Amar explained. Eric wraps it around his waist and around a thighs, seemingly fairly familiar with how to do it correctly.

Once he's got it done and it's secure, we all line up on the rope and begin to pull. We do it about a foot or two at a time, with a bit of a 'heave-ho'.

I'm not sure how much of a help I'm actually being, considering my weight and strength, but it seems only right to assist, rather than stand aside and watch.

Once he approaches the edge, Amar, who was in front, reaches an arm out. Eric takes it, semi-reluctantly, and uses his arm strength to pull himself up to sit on the ledge. He grunts in pain when he has to move his leg slightly.

I know that couldn't have been an easy feat for Eric. Not only because of his hurt leg and the narrowness of the walls of the hole, but also considering his stubbornness for help in general. But he was stuck, and injured, so he had no choice but to accept out assistance.

Once he's out, Will splints his leg the best way possible with the stuff we have. Then he lies on the make shift stretcher, which Tobias, Al, Zeke and Will all grab a corner of to carry. Uriah carries Eric's backpack and we all make our way back to the main camp.

Upon arrival, the guys are exhausted from carrying him that whole way. They lay Eric down near Lauren and Marlene, who help him with his leg a bit more, and help him get settled.

Everyone pretty much goes their own way at that point, happy to have that task over with, and wanting nothing more but to relax.

Tobias and I head towards our little shared shelter and he plops down onto his back, stretching out his limbs with a big sigh of relief.

"That was exhausting." he says.

"I know, it was for me too, and I didn't even have to help carry him." I say, sitting down beside him.

"I almost didn't want to help the stubborn bastard." he says with a humorless laugh.

"You're the better person for it." I tell him. And it's true, I really admire that he didn't feel the need to reply to Eric's stupid cocky remarks on the way back. He didn't stoop down to Eric's level. I know his anger was rising the further we went, but he kept his cool. And he still helped the jackass get back safely.

"Yeah, I guess. Whatever." he says with a small sigh. "I think I'm going to go clean up in the water, I'm all sweaty." he says, pulling himself back up and grabbing his bar of soap. "Want to come with me?" he asks as he begins pulling off his shorts to replace them with board shorts.

I still feel a slight warmth spread to my cheeks when he changes clothes so casually in front of me. I'm almost embarrassed to openly look at him. But at the same time, it still feels so comfortable and natural with him like this, that I don't think twice before I take off mine too, and put on my bathing suit instead.

He waits patiently for me, then we walk the short walk to the water, hand in hand.

Once the water is up to his chest, which by default, almost goes up to my shoulders, due to my shorter height, we stop and take in the view.

I stand looking out at the open sea, enjoying the way the cool water feels against my skin and the way the sunshine shines through the sparse clouds.

I feel Tobias come up behind me and wrap his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my head. I rest my hands on his arms and smile at the feel of him. I still can't believe how safe I feel in his arms.

"You like it out here, don't you." he says.

"Yeah, I've always loved the water." I reply. "It's always been nice living by the beach. I guess I just never thought I'd be living on it.

"Don't worry, just think of this like a rural vacation. We'll be rescued before you know it."

"You still seem so confident about that."

"I am. I just feel it. I know there is more to my future. Our future." he says, lifting his chin from my head and tilting it around to look at me. My eyes meet his and he smiles.

"I meant what I said earlier. I love you Tris. No matter what I have to do, I'll do anything I can to make sure you get home safely."

"Just...make sure we both get home safely. I don't want to go home if you can't go with me." I tell him as I return his smile. "I love you too."

"Can I touch you?" he mumbles softly against my ear as he kisses and nips on the sensitive skin there.

"What? Here? But what if someone sees us?" I ask, concerned of that thought. But still I'm craving his touch immensely as I feel his bare wet chest pressed against my mostly bare back.

"Just keep facing out towards the water, nobody will notice." he says as one of his hands slowly trails down from my waist down into the front of my bikini bottoms.

"You sure?"

"To them, it'll just looks like I'm hugging you." he says before kissing my lips briefly. "Does this feel okay?" he asks as his fingertips move exquisitely, spreading the moisture and rubbing in soft circles around my sensitive nub, but never quite touching it.

"Yes!" I say as I bite my lip to keep from yelling his name in pleasure.

He rubs around at a steady pace and pressure, building up the tension in my body.

After a few moments, I notice my face is tilted up a bit, leaning against his shoulder. My mouth hangs open slightly and I begin to pant silently as he slips a finger in, then another. His mouth trails an occasional kiss along my cheek, ear and neck, as his hand works on me.

"Yes..." I repeat in a whisper, as his fingers pump in and out of me and his thumb grazes the area around where I crave his touch most right now. But he still doesn't quite make contact with it. It's driving me wild and I feel like I'm being wound up so tight that I'm going to combust at any moment.

"I love that you let me do this." he says, and I take notice of the feel of his erection against my butt cheeks as he presses it against me. To feel how much he wants me, gets me that much closer to tipping over the edge. "And I love watching you get off." he adds before kissing down and sucking on the base of my neck, right at the same time his thumb finally makes predominant contact with my aching clit.

He knew that would do it, and he was right.

In that moment, all I can hear is my own breathing and the beat of my fast thumping heart. The pleasure over-taking my body makes my legs feel weak and I feel like I could just float away into the sea.

But I'm still wrapped in his warming embrace, his lips still making contact with the salty skin of my shoulder as I come down from that high.

When I do come back to earth from my euphoric state, and he removes his hand from my bikini bottoms, I look up at him in awe.

"I-you..you are way too good at that." I say, catching my breath.

"Too good?" he asks as I turn and face him now. He has a small smirk and he licks his lips. He does it out of habit to moisten his lips, but I don't think he realizes how much it entices me.

"Shut up." I tease with a grin, not wanting to encourage his ego. Although I don't blame him for being confident, he's definitely skilled when it comes to touching me.

He grins back and I stand on my toes to kiss him.

"I can't wait until I can kiss you everywhere. I'm really looking forward to it." he says and I feel myself growing needy for him all over again.

"Ditto." I reply. Loving the idea of how wonderful I'm sure it would feel to have his cock in my mouth.

His eyebrows raise and he has a slightly surprised by intrigued look upon his face.

"Maybe we should have some food, then make our way for an early night in our shelter."

I say, with not so subtle suggestion in my tone.

He presses his mouth firmly to mine and kisses me thoroughly before releasing me with a pleasured sounding sigh.

"I like that plan." he says with a big smile.

"But we'll have to hang out here for another minute, maybe not so close together. I need to uh, calm down first." he says and I realize he's referring to his boner. I try to hide my smile, but can't.

"Let me show you where the lobsters and crab like to hide." I say and grab his hand to bring him in the direction of the area with larger amounts of coral.

We end up getting distracted for the next hour, just having fun looking at the tropical fish and other sea life, amongst playing around with each other and laughing at childhood stories we tell one another.

Finally when Johanna shouts to us that she's cooked up the most recently caught fish, we get out of the water and wrap towels around ourselves before joining everyone for a meal by the fire. By now, the food we eat daily is repetitive and is becoming increasingly more boring. No longer do we eat for flavor or because we want to, it's merely for survival.

It really makes you take our old everyday lifestyle for granted. As I take a bite of the bland white fish, I can't help but think how much I would rather bite into a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger. I'm craving carbs, and protein. And honestly, I just want something other than these meager greens and the flavorless sea food. It was surprisingly good at first, but it got boring quickly.

After we eat, we work on the raft and sail a bit more. But as the evening grows on and the sun sets, we begin to make up ghost stories and tell them around the dancing flames of the campfire. It almost makes it feel like we're simply camping for recreation. But as the evening progresses, people begin to retreat to their coverings and take up sleep for the night.

It's just our closer group left now, Zeke, Uriah, Will, Christina, Marlene, Tobias and I.

We stay up a bit later, talking about random stuff. We even begin to talk about life after we get rescued. As I listen to their conversation with my head resting on Tobias' lap, I occasionally speak up in agreement. But as the topic progresses and they talk about how we're all going to make sure we keep in touch and remain friends, it makes me close my eyes and ponder what the future holds for Tobias and me. What if we get rescued tomorrow? Then what? He has a life already, family and friends. How would I fit into that picture? We speak casually as if we're in each other's future and what we have really does seem to be special. I'm in love with him, and according to his admissions before, he feels the same. But realistically, would we be the same in the real world? Or would he end up finding me boring after all? I can't help but feel he could do better than me. But I try to remain positive and just follow my heart. If what I feel we have between us is real, then we'll be okay. Whatever happens….

Before I know what's happening, I feel myself being set down flat on the ground. I must have fallen asleep, because as I adjust myself to get comfortable, I notice it was Tobias carrying me into our shelter and laying me down on our makeshift bed. He pulls the two blankets over us and holds me against him.

"Sorry I fell asleep and you had to carry me. You could have just woke me up." I say.

"I couldn't, you looked too peaceful. And carrying you to bed is no big deal." he says.

"You're so big and scary to them, especially Christina and Uriah. But you're so sweet around me." I tease.

"I can't help it, how could I not be sweet to you?"

"Well, sweetheart," I say with a smile, emphasizing the nickname because of his sweetness. "How about I find out just how sweet you taste?" I say, trying and probably failing my attempt at being sexy as I reach beneath the covers and into his sweatpants. "That sounded really corny. But seriously, it's my turn, I want to touch you now." I say.

I relish in the feel if him hardening in my hand and find myself clenching my legs together. He's truly got an exquisite penis and I really enjoy being the one to touch it. I look at his handsome face as his eyes flutter shut and his mouth remains slightly open. I continue the shy touches with my hand, exploring his manhood with my fingertips. But I really do feel the need to taste him, and I want to offer him pleasure like he so wonderfully provided me with earlier.

So I stop briefly and peak out the front flap of our shelter to ensure everyone is off to sleep. When I see the coast is clear, I turn to face him where he still lays down on his back. I slowly pull down the covers, along with his pants, until they're down to his knees, freeing him of any constraints. I bite my lip on instinct at the site of him, I swear I can't help but do that every time.

I grip him with my right hand again and stroke him slowly and deliberately, hoping to cause him the sensational build-up that he gave me. After he swallows thickly and his breathing increases, he closes his eyes again. I bend down and decide to lick him under side, from base to tip. He sucks in a harsh breath and his eyes shoot open to watch me. I guess he wasn't expecting my mouth on him. But he doesn't seem to be unhappy about it, so I wet my lips and continue my oral explorations with my tongue on his shaft before wrapping my lips around him. I suck and move my head at a speed I hope he enjoys and I feel his hand gently tangle in my hair. He rubs his thumb back and forth slightly in a comforting and loving way.

"Tris, I'm not going to last long. Your mouth feels insanely good." he manages to speak and it only encourages my desire to finish him off. I want him to unravel in pleasure as I had. And I want to be the one to bring him to it.

I use my hand in motion with my mouth since I can't quite fit him all the way in, and I feel his hand grip my head a little more, but in no way close to hurting me.

"Final warning." he says between breaths as he continues to watch me in a lustful daze.

"Mmmm..." I moan in encouragement with him still filling my mouth. My free hand reaches down to caress his balls and then he's there. I look up at him during, to get a visual of his peak as he has described about watching me. I take note of his twinkling heavily lidded eyes, the way his jaw drops more and the silent moans escape his mouth.

When I'm done and I've licked him clean, I pull his pants and blanket back up and snuggle back up to his side. He holds me close and he still seems speechless.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I close my eyes.

"Goodnight." I say pleasantly as I yawn. I feel his head move and I open my eyes again.

He just looks down at me, mouth still slack with a look of awe.

"Yeah." he says and the corners of his mouth tug up slowly, but end up growing into a huge smile, showing off his nice teeth.

"Was that okay? Will you let me do that again sometime?" I ask, enjoying the moment. Because I'd say by the look on his face, he definitely enjoyed it and wouldn't mind a repeat. Although I can't help but somewhat analyze my skill at such a thing. I don't exactly have a huge amount of experience.

"No words Tris. There are no words to describe how incredible that was. You can most definitely do that again sometime. Any time. I'm honored to receive it."

He really is something else. Why can't more men be like him? All my friends deserve to have such great guys. I feel really blessed that he seems to have chosen me to be attracted to. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I don't plan on taking him for granted like I have so many other things in my life.

We share a lingering goodnight kiss and close our eyes before drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

Early the next morning, I make a mental note that it's day 12 here on the island.

I already hear the chatter of some of the others, as many of them wake around sunrise. But I remain still and quiet, wanting to extend the time I have to just lay with Tobias.

Somehow we managed to get all tangled in out blankets and I lay on my back with his head on my chest, the opposite of how we often lay. But I don't mind, I like holding him too. As much as I love him and love how protective and comforting he is to me, I want to reciprocate and do the same for him. I'm not used to these types of feelings, but I find them to be easy to have.

I begin to think about what it would be like to be called Mrs. Eaton. Mrs. Tris Eaton. Would he actually consider marrying me one day? If so, I don't blame him for wanting to give it a few years first. But I've never been so excited or hopeful at the thought of possibly having a husband. And I realize how the charm of that thought is not there if I imagine marrying any other guy. Because I only want Tobias.

Wow, I'm so way ahead of myself. Where is my mind drifting to now? I try to shake my thoughts, but I seem to actually shake my head in the process. Waking Tobias up with the movement.

"You okay?" he asks groggily.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." I whisper.

"It's okay, I was kind of already waking up. Just deep in thought."

"What about?"

"Just different ways of trying to get noticed out here." he says, furrowing his eye brows a bit as if he's still wondering. "There has to be other good ways for us to speed up the process of our rescue. How can we get noticed?" he seems to ask himself out loud.

"I know, I really had high hopes when we got the fire started initially. I thought for sure rescuers would see the smoke. But I guess we're just too far away." I say a bit sadly.

"Yeah, but-" he begins, but then abruptly sits straight up. "You're a genius Tris!" He exclaims fumbling with the blankets to untangle himself and attempt to climb out of the shelter. I sit there confused for a moment, but am broken from my reverie as he leans back in, grabs his knife from his bag and nods his head in the direction out there. "C'mon, you gave me an idea." he says.

I quickly scramble myself together and toss my hair into a bun as we make our way over to the torn apart remnants of the jet.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before." he says, shaking his head at himself.

"What?" I ask, still unsure of his plan. By now, Will and Zeke are joining us. They seemed to have been awake and out milling around already, when they noticed Tobias' excited behavior as he jogged to the plane site.

"You're right Tris, fire smoke is known to be an effective way of being spotted and rescued. But why haven't they seen it? We may be off the grid a bit, who knows where we are. But if any planes or boats are going to spot us, they need to be able to see our signals. I think our smoke is too white, it blends in with the sky and clouds. So we need to build the fire pit bigger, and get some dark black smoke up there. Which we'll get with these." he says as he stabs his knife into one of the tires. It barely makes a dent in the rubber, but he gets his point across.

So with the looks of astonishment on our faces in response, we all begin helping him find the tools and sharp objects to try and carefully remove the tires from the landing gears.

Some of the others join us to help out, but still, it takes longer than we anticipated.

Finally after much struggle, we manage to do it though. By the time were done and carrying them to the fire, Amar and Harrison had already begun to add much more wood to the fire in attempts of building it bigger. We also make note that it's a good clear day, so we may as well put this logic to the test right now. I'm so proud of Tobias for thinking of this. It very well may work, it's a really smart idea.

As we toss the rubber tires onto the flame, the smoke immediately begins to darken. We all hold our shirts over our faces to keep from inhaling it so directly, but thankfully the smoke does well going straight up.

We add more and build it big. With hopes of making this really work. But after a while, there isn't much we can do but let it do its thing and wait it out.

So we all gather nearby, doing just that. We keep ourselves busy with mindless things, like playing rummy or washing our clothes. As the afternoon continues, I start to get equally anxious and disappointed. I guess it's unrealistic to think that if it did work, that someone would be here right away. But surely this must help?

Eric's dumbass remarks aren't helping. He thinks it's stupid that were even trying and continues with his unsolicited comments about how it's a waste of our time and energy. But eventually, Tobias can't take any more of it.

"Ya know what, I've heard enough from you, Eric. We haven't asked for your opinion and we haven't asked you to help. You can just continue to sit there with your broken leg and mind your own business. Just shut the hell up. You don't need to believe that we'll get rescued, you can be pessimistic all you want. But for those of us that refuse to give up, stop being such an arrogant dickhead about it." Tobias vents, finally giving into the frustration of withholding his tongue.

Everyone gasps in surprise, except me. I had felt the tension rising and knew it was a matter of moments until Tobias had to speak up and cut him off. But I can imagine it felt good to finally speak up.

"You really think you're going to make a difference. You're just going to get whisked away and live a happily ever after. Well, life's a bitch. Learn to accept it." Eric responds, trying to act all big and tough from where he is sitting on the ground, leaning his back against the trunk of a palm tree, arms crossed across his chest.

"Whatever man. I have hope. I have faith. I have a girl who makes life worth living. So yeah, I do plan on having a happily ever after." Tobias says more calmly now, but no less confident or inspiring.

As if on cue, a loud sound rings in the distance, the sound almost being foreign in our ears. I never thought I'd be so elated to hear such a thing. We all immediately turn and face the ocean, taking in the site before us.

_Honk Honk_

The horn of the cargo ship sounds again two times, seemingly in acknowledgement that they see us. Even though they seem fairly far away, it seems like they're heading in our direction.

We stand there for who knows how long, jaws dropped in shock. As I notice others begin to hoot and holler at the top of their lungs, I remain standing there and reach up and rub my eyes to make sure I'm not hallucinating. Still in shock, I swallow hard and look to my left where Tobias stands there looking at me with what I can only describe as complete and utter love and relief. Like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he can finally breathe.

In one step, we move towards each other and grip each other in a huge hug. I immediately begin crying for joy.

"Is this real? We're being saved?" I say between tears.

"Yes love, this is real. We're going home."

**-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**Ah! A cargo ship saw their smoke and came to the rescue! Yay!**

**But don't worry, this story isn't over yet. As I mentioned, we're just over half-way now. We get to venture slightly into the aftermath of island life.**

**Once again, thank you for the awesome reviews, follows and favorites. You're amazing! It gives me a ton of encouragement, so I really appreciate it!**

**Thank you again to my beta/friend Ractre1127, you're amazing! **

**Last but not least, come find me on Tumblr (madisonr1129), I will be posting a picture collage to correlate with this chapter.**

**Have a good week everyone!**


	10. Chapter 10

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 10:**

***Last day on the island***

**~~Tris POV~~**

The next hour is a complete blur. The cargo ship spotted our smoke, followed it and ultimately saved us from this deserted island.

As it had approached, we gathered our belongings in a frenzy and as it neared the closest it could to the shore, it sent out a smaller boat, almost looking like a life boat. Which then picked up a few people at a time from our group.

Until now, where Tobias, Zeke and I are the last three to be hauled into this gigantic cargo ship.

My heart continues to pound like crazy during all of this, it almost being too much for me to take in all at once. I'm elated, but also anxious.

Tobias holds my hand as if it's permanently attached, while we watch various crew members scurrying about doing various things. Some are tending to first aid needs, others are gathering blankets and water.

It all seems a bit unorganized as this is not the actual purpose of this ship, it's merely to haul goods from one place to the next. But when they saw the smoke, they weren't about to turn away, much to our appreciation.

Once we're all gathered around and things are slightly less frantic, a tall dark haired man with a beard and a gray beanie, approaches and begins to speak.

"Can I please have everyone's attention?" he hollers, causing everyone to look in his direction.

"I am Steve Hewitt, First Mate. Welcome aboard the SS Pacifica. I have spoken with Amar and got a head count with all your names. We understand you were on flight 421 to New Zealand. Our ship's Captain has contacted the authorities and the nearest coast guard vessel is on its way to our location. In the meantime, we'll help you stay warm and hydrated." he speaks.

We all sigh again in relief and as I simultaneously close my eyes to just take a deep breath, I feel Tobias' arms wrap around me once again. He pulls me against his firm chest, his sturdy form and comforting embrace help to calm my nerves and just enjoy the feeling of worry escape my thoughts completely.

He sits down somewhere nearby and pulls me onto his lap sideways. I feel a wool blanket draped around me and Tobias tucks it in tighter, holding me close. I pull my face away slightly and look at him with a smile. "Thank you." I say simply, but with so much emotion and feeling in it, I almost feel tears prickle at my eyes again, but I don't allow them to spill over.

He gives me a questioning look and a small smile, obviously wondering what I'm thankful for specifically.

"Thank you for everything. You're incredible. You helped me keep it together back there, you helped us survive, you gave me hope, and you just...make me feel safe." I say.

He smiles a little more but looks down at our entwined hands a bit bashfully.

He's about to say something in return, but we're interrupted by a woman handing us bottles of water. We thank her and she moves along.

I glance around and my eyes connect with Christina where she sits across the deck, huddled up with Will. It's the closest I've seen them together and she obviously sees that I notice this. We share a small knowing smile and I wink at her. For the first time, I get _her_ to blush.

As the coast guard ship approaches a while later, we share hugs and handshakes with our rescuers, thanking them profusely for spotting us and coming to help. They saved our lives, and we'll be eternally grateful.

It's a bit of work transferring from one vessel to another, but we do it. And then before I know it, we're heading for land. We're told we're heading for New Zealand. Even though we apparently made our way very off course, it's still the closest populated land destination.

After quite a lengthy trip, we finally arrive and I almost don't know what feelings are coursing through my head.

When we pull up to port, there are emergency vehicles waiting our arrival. We're told they're going to take us to the nearest hospital. Not only the ones with injuries, but the rest of us as well. They insist on getting us all checked out, whether we say we're fine or not.

The whole process seems to go so fast, yet it also seems to go in slow motion.

We get admitted to the hospital and per Tobias' insistence with the nurses, he thankfully gets us in a double-room together. They check us both out for injuries, as well as making sure we're not dehydrated or malnourished and so on. Thankfully were both pretty good. Although when Tobias points out the cut on his hand he got from a sharp part of the plane when he was helping to remove the tires for the fire, he's glad he had it looked at. They gave him a tetanus shot and end up giving him 12 stitches. I turn out to be okay, but they both encourage us to stay, lying down to rest. Plus, they say there will be some people who will come by soon to do some brief interviews about the crash and our experience.

But until then, Tobias and I are left alone to get some sleep.

"How's your hand feeling?" I ask, knowing all they gave him was some extra strength Tylenol for the pain.

"It's fine, barely felt it." he says and I chuckle at him.

"How are you doing? You feel okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I just want to get out of here. This bed feels pretty good compared to the ground, and I want the rest, but I want a big comfy bed and a private room to rest in."

"With me?" he asks.

"Yeah, I guess you could join me." I tease and he smiles from his little hospital bed a couple feet away from me. It's so small compared to him, his feet hang off the edge.

"How are you two doing? I know Leanne said you were resting, but I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some food." the new nurse says as she comes in with two trays. She places them in front of us and removes the lids, revealing a meal consisting go a chicken breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, roasted carrots, a salad and a dinner roll. It's nothing too fancy, definitely a hospital meal. But right now, it seems to be one of the most appetizing things I've ever seen.

"Thank you." I say. "And we're doing well. But any chance there is a phone we could use though? I'd like to call my family."

"I think I better have Dr. Marx come back in here to talk to you about that." The nurse says. "I'll send her back in."

"Okay, thanks." I say, digging into my food before the doctor comes back.

"That's odd, huh?" Tobias says to me and I nod, thinking just the same thing. Why would the doctor have to talk to us further before we make phone calls?

Once Dr. Marx comes back in, she gives us an apologetic smile.

"Sorry you two, I had to chat with a few people before I spoke to you about this." she says and we look at her, willing her to explain further.

"The phone is right over here. But I must tell you, it isn't recommend you call anyone but your immediate family."

"Why is that?" Tobias asks her.

"Well, the media has been all over the story of your missing jet and it's been assumed that it crashed, with no survivors." she explains gently, waiting a moment for us to take that in before continuing.

"Unfortunately 11 days without any indication of where you were, the media pushed the idea. I'm not saying that's what all your friends and family believed. Nor the search and rescue teams, who were indeed still looking. But it's been quite a story all over the news. And it's possible that anyone you call, may spread the word. It's best that any information of what happened, is addressed to the public by you guys personally, and maybe even that you find a lawyer or PR person. Everyone is going to be on this. Heck, they'll probably want you on talk shows and everything. It's just something you should think about and consider before proceeding."

"Wow." is all I can manage to say. I look to Tobias and he's just got his arms crossed, looking down at his now empty plate, obviously in deep thought about all this.

"The Coast Guard notified the person in charge of your search crew. He then notified your parents Beatrice. They are already on a flight here. Tobias, your mother has been notified as well and is also on her way."

"Here to New Zealand?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes dear, so that's why it might be best to lay low until they get here. I wouldn't even leave the hospital until then, news crews are already outside waiting." she says, peeking through the blinds of the window.

"Okay, thank you." I say, trying to process all this overwhelming information.

After giving us a tight smile and a nod, she exits the room and closes the door behind her.

"Didn't think it'd be _that_ big of a deal." I say to Tobias after a few minutes of silence.

"Me either. I mean, I guess it _is_ a big deal. But I don't like that the news is all over it. We still have a personal life." he says and I nod in agreement as I look over at him. He offers me a small smile and scoots over in his hospital bed slightly, patting the empty space, encouraging me to join him.

I get up and lay beside him on the tiny bed, snuggling up to his chest and his arm goes around me.

"I don't like public speaking, I hope I won't have to do very many interviews. I don't personally want to be on TV or anything." I say.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. And if any talking is needed, I'll do it if you'd like."

I smile at his sweetness. I feel him kiss my forehead and take a deep breath.

"I'm just happy we're back, we made it to New Zealand after all. We're okay." he says and my smile remains as the steady beat of his heart eases me into a peaceful sleep.

-/-/-/-

I awake to harsh sunlight streaming through the short vertical blinds. My eyes reluctantly open and they almost immediately land on the big clock on the wall that reminds me of the ones in school. It reads 8:50am and when I begin to awaken more, I realize I'm alone.

I lean up and stretch, before throwing my legs over the side of the hospital bed and standing up. I open the door and peek my head into the hallway. The first thing I see is a man in uniform at the end of the hall, he's asking Tobias a bunch of questions and jotting down notes. But it seems they're at the tail end of their conversation, because the man closes his notepad, shakes Tobias' hand and walks away. But just as Tobias was turning to head in my direction, he did a double-take towards what appears to be the front desk area.

"Jenna?" he asks with surprise and excitement. My curiosity is immediately peaked, but for some reason instead of walking over there to join him, I duck and hide behind the stretcher next to me here in the hallway. Why am I acting like a child? I'm literally ducking and hiding, and now eavesdropping.

"Tobias!" The girl shrieks back.

I peer over the hospital stretcher and take in the view of the girl, _Jenna_. The name rings a bell. I remember Tobias mentioning she is one of his close friends. She and their other two close guy friends, Micah and Ryan, always hung out together. They all lived in the same apartment building and have known each other for a few years. He didn't talk about her often, maybe even less than his other friends. But he always spoke very highly of her, saying now she was a tattoo artist and a painter. Somehow I also found out that she is a nude model for an art school.

She has pale milky skin, beautiful shiny shoulder length black hair and a bright smile, her bright red lipstick contrasting brightly to her shiny white teeth and bright blue eyes. For some reason even from here, I notice her perfectly wing tipped eyeliner, her black suede ankle boots that go perfect with her cute outfit. And then there are her several tattoos. She has both lower arms covered in beautiful floral work and there is a fairly large tattoo across her chest of a heart with keyhole and wings splaying from it. She has another one on her neck, but I can't tell what it is from here.

It also doesn't go unnoticed that she's really pretty. I for some reason think she's awesome, even in just the first 20 seconds of seeing her from 30 feet away. Although I've never even met her.

But, the thing that catches my eye out of all of this...is how she's in _my_ boyfriend's arms. Like not just in a big happy friendly hug, but she's up off the ground in Tobias' arms, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck.

Just moments ago, I had watched how she entered the area and when they caught each other's eye, she dropped her bag on the ground and leapt into his arms. He seemed to be reluctant, but he held her in place there so as not to fall, simply looking at her in surprise. Then almost immediately, it gets worse...now her lips are on his like she's been waiting ages to kiss him.

But my heart begins to pound as if it will erupt, but it calms a bit as I see that Tobias doesn't let the kiss last long. He pushes her away and gently sets her down on the ground. She looks sad, but she keeps are arms around his neck. Which he then gently removes as well. But I notice that he remains holding her hands, and even though I just see his profile, I can tell he's looking into her eyes. Those damn bright blue ones with the perfectly mascara covered long lashes.

"Jenna, what was that? Why'd you do that?" he almost says harshly, but he manages to keep it sounding calm. He sounds genuinely surprised by her actions.

"Toby, I'm-I'm so glad you're okay. When we heard you didn't make your arrival time, and that the plane was missing, so many things were running though our heads." she says.

"I know, it's crazy, right?" he says, shaking his head in disbelief of it all.

"I thought I'd lost you, forever." she says and a few tears fall. "I love you Tobias, I don't know why I never realized it before. But, once I thought you were gone, I realized what I was missing." she says.

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" he asks, surprised further at her admission and seemingly confused.

"I'm saying, I know you left on this new adventure, and we as your friends, we wished you well and told you to keep in touch. But then when we got the news, I felt heartbroken. So when I heard from your mom that you were okay, I got on the next flight to New Zealand to welcome you home. And well, to tell you my feelings for you. Maybe we can even stay here, live here in New Zealand after all. Make a life together here. A family. I'm sure you realize now how silly it is to travel around the world like you always said you wanted to. It's dangerous. So we could just find an awesome place here, live abroad.

My throat constricts and my eyes sting, but I blink back the tears. This girl sounds stupid saying it's dangerous to travel. I guess to an extent it is. But isn't it worth it? And it's got to be just as dangerous living in LA or Chicago for that matter. But still, she seems wonderful and beautiful and perfect for him. And they're so similar, I bet they get along great. If they were friends before, I don't see why he wouldn't want to take it to the next level. I always thought he deserved better than me anyway, maybe this is a sign. I sign that we had our time together, and now he's meant to move on.

"Wow. I uh, I don't know what to say." he says, pulling his hands from hers and looking down while he tucks his hands in his pockets.

"Be truthful. Be honest with yourself Toby. Do you want me?" she says, tugging on the bottom of his shirt.

He takes a step back, therefore removing her hand from the material.

"Jenna," he says and takes a deep breath. He pulls a hand out of his pocket to rub his face with it. "I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way. I love you, but only as a friend. Nothing more." he pauses and looks up at her for her reaction. "I'm really glad you came here, it's good to see you. And I'm glad to have a familiar friendly face to greet me and welcome me back. It was quite an interesting past couple weeks." he says. "But I don't want you to get your hopes up that there could be something between us."

She seems sad and furrows her brow as she looks at the ground. But she stays there and continues talking to him.

"I understand. You've never really given me any signs anyway. I guess a girl can hope though, right?" she says.

"Well, like I said, you're awesome. But you're like having another sister, you know that. You have to admit, we used to get on each other's nerves pretty often. Our personalities are too alike." he says, and I can tell he doesn't like the confrontation and wants to let her off easy.

"You're right." she says with a smile and punches his arm playfully. He sits down in a chair there in the waiting area and she takes a seat next to him.

I sigh inwardly and quietly shift my legs so they don't fall asleep. A nurse walks by and gives me an odd look, but I just shoo her away with my hand and she seems to understand what I'm doing. She gives me a sympathetic look and continues on her way.

"Was it awful? I don't know many details. But they said that a cargo ship spotted you guys on a deserted island?" Jenna asks him.

"Yeah, we had a crash landing on an island. I guess it was fairly small, but felt big when you traversed it on foot. But the whole experience actually wasn't as awful as you'd think." he says.

"Are you serious?" she asks, genuinely surprised. "That sounds so terrible though."

"Yeah, I mean, it was rough. It was hard work, and at times, emotionally a bit draining. But in the grand scheme of things, none of us got seriously injured. We learned to fish and find food, so we didn't go too entirely hungry, we found fresh water, and it was actually really beautiful there." he says and he smiles before adding, "And...I met a girl."

"Oh?" she asks, somewhat surprised, somewhat amused. "A girl?"

"Not just any girl. _The_ girl." he says biting his lip from grinning.

Even though my heart swells with happiness at those words, a part of me doesn't understand his logic. Me? Over her? She's perfect for him. She would be a good wife to him one day. They'd have adorable kids. Fuck, what am I thinking? Is there something wrong with me? _No_, I tell myself. I just want Tobias to be happy. It's for the greater good.

I let out a squeak when I feel something brush up against my arm and jerk to look to see what it is, only to find Christina crouched down beside me. She giggles and leans into my ear, whispering loudly. "What are you doing Tris?"

I scowl and shush her as I tilt my head in Tobias and Jenna's direction, indicating my predicament and hoping she keeps her mouth shut.

She seems to get the hint and her eyebrows shoot up in surprise as what she's witnessing.

But when I peek back over at them, they're looking in this direction. I guess the squeak I let out when she startled me, caught their attention.

"Tris?" Tobias asks.

But I don't reply and then my body works of its own accord. I stand and start for the other direction, running away like an immature young girl.

_It's for the greater good_. I try reiterating in my head as my heart pounds in my ears. I faintly hear footsteps of someone, or possibly multiple people following me. But I can't get myself to stop or look back. I just keep running the confusing hallways until I see a door leading outside.

I go to push the door open with all my might, but much to my surprise, it's an automatic door. So it opens on its own as I approach. But since I wasn't expecting that, I stumble slightly and almost trip flat on my face. I somehow catch myself, but I'm not sure which direction to go next. I seem to be in some sort of courtyard with picnic tables covered by umbrellas, and no obvious exit in sight. My only options are the way I came, or two other doors that appear to lead to the cafeteria. I spin, trying to come up with a quick direction to head, but I'm met with strong arms encircling me, and my nose is met with that distinct masculine wonderful smell that is uniquely him.

I didn't even realize I was crying until he turns me in his arms to face him and holds me close with one arm, while his other hand reaches up to my face and his fingers wipe away my tears.

"Tris, what's this about? Why are you crying? Why'd you run from me?"

I swallow hard and try to pull away, but he doesn't let me budge. He's not hurting me, but he's definitely not letting me go anywhere.

"Tris." he pleads. "Please. You're scaring me."

I reluctantly look up at him and the look in his eyes makes me stifle a sob. "I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation with Jenna. I didn't plan on it, but I hid and listened, and then I couldn't stop."

"It's okay, I don't care if you heard any of that. I have nothing to hide from you."

"But she's amazing Tobias. You deserve a girl like that. You deserve to be happy." I say. I reach up and cradle his jaw with my hand and rub his cheek with my thumb. "I..." I start, but have to take a deep calming breath before I continue. "I think you would make a wonderful couple. If you want to be with her, I give you my blessing. I don't want you to feel obligated to be with me, just because we said some things on a deserted island during a traumatic experience."

He looks both sad and mad at the same time. "Excuse me?" he says through his teeth.

"I don't want you to feel like you owe it to me. We can just appreciate what we had and move on." I say quietly.

Now it's his turn to take a deep breath before he speaks.

"You better be joking." he says and reaches to hold my face in both his hands.

I try to look down to avoid his stare, but he just tilts my face back up. He still looks angry, but he also looks hurt. And it breaks my heart to know it's because of me.

"Tris, this is it. Right here, right now, I need you to flush away all those doubts and insecurities, okay? Just let it all out. No more of this nonsense from here on out. I'm in love with you. I fell in love with you on that island, and I'm still in love with you here. I will _always_ be in love with you. For the rest of my days." he says sternly but sincerely.

"But-" I start to say, but be cuts me off.

"No. There are no buts about it. I'm _not_ in love with Jenna. I'm _not_ in love with anyone else. Just you, Tris Prior. So whether you like it or not, you need to accept that information and decide truthfully what your heart wants. Because I know what I want. I want you, all for myself. I want to date you. I want to travel the world with you like we've talked about. One day, I want to propose to you. I want to make you my wife. I want to talk about having children with you." he says, looking between my eyes with love and hope. "Please let me have that with you." he says, while still looking at me intently. He is so sincere that my lip trembles the whole time. The tears begin to fall again, but I can't help the smile that comes with it this time. But for some reason, I still need to be clear with him.

"I just don't want you regret it." I say quietly, biting my lip. "I can't get any more attached to you, just to have to lose you. I won't be able to handle that."

"You won't have to deal with losing me unless you keep pushing me away like this. Because I don't take those words lightly Tris. I don't just throw them around. I was confident in those feelings when I first told you that I loved you. And the feeling only gets stronger. I most definitely won't regret making my future with you. You're it for me." he says. He leans closer and gently brushes his lips with mine.

I press my forehead to his and whisper, "I'm in love you with too Tobias. I meant it when I said it before, and I still do."

He smiles at me.

"I'm sorry I doubted us, I just wanted what's best for you. But if you really think that person is _me, _and if you'll have me despite my emotional outbreaks," I say with a tearful chuckle, "I want all that stuff you mentioned. I want it all. I want it with you."

The grin over takes his face before he presses his lips to mine again, this time much more forcefully.

I try to pour all my love and devotion into the kiss. Showing how much I truly do care for him and that I want nothing more than to be the best that I can be for him.

After a good couple minutes wrapped in each other's arms and kissing passionately, we pull apart and close our eyes as I press my forehead to his upper chest, giving his sexy collar bone a chaste kiss and he kisses the top of my head.

"I just realized we have an audience." he mumbles against my ear. I cautiously look over my shoulder and not only see Christina and Jenna, but my mom and dad standing there. The four of them are next to another woman around my mom's age, with grayish blonde shoulder length hair.

I'd normally be completely embarrassed by such PDA, but right now I just don't care. My parents are here!

"It's my mom and dad." I tell him and I immediately turn and head in that direction. But I don't hear Tobias' footsteps behind me. So I stop and turn to see him walking slowly, almost reluctantly.

"I figured I'd give you some time alone with them." he says with a gentle smile.

"Don't be a doofus. We're in this for the long haul, right?" I ask and he nods with a smile.

"Alright, c'mon then, you're meeting my parents." I say with a smile and take his hand.

"Okay." he says and squeezes my hand. "And did you call me a doofus?" he teases and I nod with a small laugh.

Once Tobias and I get closer, he explains who the other woman is that I didn't recognize.

"It's seems you're meeting my mother too." he says as his smile grows.

As we approach, I notice that Christina whispers something to Jenna, and now they're heading in the direction of the cafeteria. Whereas our family realizes they can move and no longer have to wait patiently for us to work out what I'm sure appeared to be an emotional discussion.

The sliding doors open and they bound through as we approach them. My mom engulfs me in a bone crushing hug and my dad wraps his arms around both of us. It feels so good to be near them again, for them to know that I'm okay. That I actually have been this whole time. I've missed them so much.

We stay like that for a long time, my mom crying and my dad telling me how wonderful it is to see me. When we pull away, they look at me like they haven't seen me in years. Although it does kind of feel that way.

I glance to my right and see Tobias still embraced with his mother and I smile at the sight. He smiles at me over his moms shoulder.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet someone." I say. At that, they pull away from our group hug and Tobias turns towards me as I take his left hand.

"This is Tobias Eaton." I say and Tobias reaches and shakes my dad's hand. "Mr. Prior." he says with a nod, then looks to my mom. "Mrs. Prior."

"Please, call us Natalie and Andrew. And it's very nice to meet you Tobias." My mom tells him.

"Well, Andrew, Natalie, Tris- this is my mother, Evelyn Johnson." Tobias tells her and I shake her hand as well. "Very nice to meet you all." she says with a warm smile, similar to Tobias'.

Evelyn and my parents greet one another and once the introductions are over, we sit at one of the tables and Tobias and I proceed to tell them about everything that happened.

I'm thankful that we're able to tell the story together, it's easier with him by my side. We begin with how we met on the plane, then onto the actual crash landing, to the few injuries people had, to surviving and living in the wild jungle and beach for 10 nights and 11 days.

Both of our moms are crying softly throughout the story, and even my dad seems emotional. We of course leave out the parts of our sexual adventures. But we do summarize how we bonded and got to know each other, how it was easy to become close to one another quickly, and how we realized we had fallen in love. I try emphasizing how wonderful Tobias was with everything, and how he took care of me and kept me calm the whole time. Although he smiles at me from the compliments, he just turns the conversation into how wonderful I did too. How awesome I had been with him and the others, how skilled I had become at catching shellfish and with finding plant life to eat.

"Mom, I have you to thank for that. For teaching me a bit about your love for horticulture and edible plants. It really helped us out a lot. I didn't even know I stored all that information in the back of my brain somewhere." I say with a chuckle. "And dad, I had to tie off a makeshift sling for Nita's arm like you taught me."

We're all silent for a few moments, they seem to be taking in all the information we just shared. They had been patient and quiet as they listened, hanging on every word.

As I think about it, I'm slightly surprised at their reaction to the part about Tobias and me. None of them seem surprised or unsure about this particular bit of news. I thought for sure my parents, or at least my dad, would be unconvinced, because of the short time frame. Not that it would have altered my decision to be with Tobias, but I thought maybe I'd have to deal with their unsure comments or parental advice to take things slower.

But instead, they just say how happy they are for us, and how they see how much we love each other.

We all turn when we hear the doors slide open and see a receptionist bringing out a phone.

"Is there a Mr. Tobias Eaton out here?" she asks and in response, he stands to acknowledge her. She hands him the phone and tells him he has a call from our employer and hotel owner, Jim.

He takes the phone and thanks her, but as he takes the call, he begins pacing next to us where we remain sitting at the table waiting patiently.

He seems to be mostly listening to the other end, but offers short answers in reply to whatever Jim is saying. But then he suddenly stops in his tracks and stops to look at me in awe as he listens further. Now I'm completely anxious to know what he's saying.

"Yeah, Tris is right here with me, I'll fill her in on everything." he says after the 15 minute conversation.

When he hangs up, he takes his seat again between me and his mother.

He looks to his left at me and offers me a baffled smile.

"Well?" I say, encouraging him to indeed fill me in.

"Jim basically wanted to tell us that he's glad we're all okay. Apparently he's already spoken to the others, but they had a hard time finding us since we weren't in our room. Anyway, he wanted us all to know that he's proud of our hard work and ability to overcome all this. And that if/when we decide we want to return to work, our jobs are still available to us whenever we want. Preferably here in New Zealand since he still wants to open the hotel in about 9 months. But if we wish to work at a different location, he'll squeeze us in somewhere else. But in the meantime, we can have as much time off as we want. He said even a couple years is fine." Tobias explains and my jaw drops.

"Seriously? I thought they would have moved on and found replacements for us. Or of anything, we could have our jobs, but we'd have to start right away. I'm sure they're already behind on everything now." I say.

"Yeah, he just said how this has just proven even more what hardworking awesome people we are, so wouldn't want to give up having staff like us if we'll consider it. But said he's really understanding that we may need time off for ourselves as it was a traumatic experience."

"That's very kind of him, I'm glad he's being understanding." My mother says.

"There's more." Tobias says and we all look at him waiting for him to continue.

"He says the media is all over this and indeed will want interviews, etc. if we're willing to comply. He's sending a PR rep for his company, out here to New Zealand to speak with us all and work things out. He said that we don't have to do a lot, if we don't want to. But that if we're willing to have the PR person help us come up with some good TV segments and have our summarized stories ready, it will be easier to get it over with and them off our backs sooner. Otherwise, everyone will be begging to talk to us, wanting the scoop and dirty details." he says and I sigh. I guess he's right, we could just do a few and get them over with.

"In addition, to help us through all this, he is awarding each passenger some money to help ease back into a normal life. Or to use to help pay for expenses if we wish to take some time off."

"Really?" I ask.

I had thought that they might offer to pay medical expenses, but an additional stipend?

"Yeah, he'll pay for any and all related medical charges. Plus...a bonus allotment of $100,000 each." he says and my jaw drops.

**-/-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N- **

**Thank you for all the great reviews, it's so great to get such positive feedback!**

**Also, thank you Ractre1127 for all your help!**

**This chapters picture collage will be on Tumblr tomorrow evening.(**madisonr1129)****


	11. Chapter 11

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story. Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 11:**

***The following day, still in New Zealand***

**~~Tobias POV~~**

Today is the day that most of us are being released from the hospital.

After wrapping ourselves up in comfortable robes this morning, we went and saw all of the others in their hospital rooms. Even the ones we were less close to throughout this ordeal, it kind of felt like we should check on them and say goodbye.

I'm sure we'll see everyone again, as it sounds like we may all participate in a few small TV segments or something. But especially the ones we wanted to keep in touch with, we exchanged phone numbers and emails. Something many of us weren't sure if we'd ever have a reason again to do so.

After we made the rounds, we came back to our room to get cleaned up and change clothes.

The plan is for us to stay in a hotel nearby for a short while, to get re-acclimated. Also, we're hoping that will give us some time to make some decisions. Primarily...what happens next?

Do we stay and work here at this new hotel and just pick up on life where we left off? Or rather, how we intended things to go?

Or do we go home? See our family and friends? Even though when we boarded that jet, we hadn't planned on seeing them for a while, the experience we went through makes us want to reevaluate our decisions on being away from the people that mean so much to us.

But then, _where_ is home exactly? We had both left our apartment leases behind, with intent of living here, in New Zealand. So is home...in LA where Tris came from? Is it Chicago, where I had lived for the past several years? Or San Diego, where my roots are, where my mother and sister still live? I guess when I think about it, I really don't care where we go. As long as I'm with Tris, I'll be happy. Wherever she is, feels like home.

_Knock Knock_

"Come in." Tris says as she finishes pulling on her striped sweater.

"You ready?" Natalie asks from the doorway. I see Andrew lingering behind her as well.

I've been dressed and ready for a couple minutes, just patiently waiting for Tris. She had taken a couple extra minutes to gather her belongings. And I think maybe, she's milking these last few minutes before we possibly get bombarded with news crews or paparazzi, as the PR woman named Lucy had mentioned to us in our little meeting this morning.

"Yeah, I think so." Tris says, looking around to see if she's forgetting anything.

I stand and put on my worn baseball hat, before grabbing my bag. She grabs hers and then my hand. We head through the doors and sign-out, before making our way to the back exit of the hospital.

When the fresh air hits my nose, I happily take in the smell of wet pavement and grass as it has just started to drizzle. I missed the fresh air more than I thought I would. I have a feeling throughout this whole experience, that particular thing will always stick with me. I guess I'm sleeping with my windows open from now on.

Thankfully this route through the back exit where the ambulance bay is, doesn't seem to attract any unwanted attention from camera crews. As we emerge from the building though, a few cameras flash and once they realize it really is us, the cameramen jog the short distance to approach us for better shots. But we're being shuffled into an SUV and just after we pile in, the door is closed behind us.

We're thankful to avoid the small crowd of flashing lights in our faces, as that is never a lifestyle we had wished upon ourselves. Although since we're not really celebrities, I'm hoping it will pass soon.

As I catch my breath and take in my surroundings. I notice there were already passengers waiting in the vehicle for us. My mother and Jenna sit in the very back row. Andrew had taken the front passenger seat, next to what appears to be a chauffeur, as he instructs him which hotel to go to. Sat in the middle row, is Tris, myself, and Natalie.

At the thought of Jenna being in the back seat, I feel the need to introduce her to Tris. I don't want things to be awkward. It was already awkward enough when she spilled her feelings to me. But I had to be truthful and let her know I didn't quite feel the same. And then felt it was only fair to mention that I'd met someone. But even if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to reciprocate with Jenna's feelings. I'm glad she understood, or at least seemed to.

So, since Tris had gotten the wrong idea when she saw us and ran, she never actually got a chance to meet my friend from Chicago. I mean, I don't blame her if she'd prefer not to, after seeing her come on to me. But it'd be worse to ignore the situation, right? Plus, a bit of me hopes they could actually get along and consider being friends. I don't want there to be any hard feelings if we can help it.

Somehow we make it to the hotel in record time, we didn't even have a chance or utter any words to each other. Thankfully there is nobody here waiting to photograph us and we're able to enter the building peacefully.

Apparently our parents booked rooms on the same floor, happy to be close, but understanding about giving us a private room with some space.

They all help us into the suite they reserved for Tris and I. Natalie and my mom seem to go straight over to start unloading what looks like some groceries into the small kitchenette. Jenna comes to stand near us, as if wanting to say something, but isn't sure how to approach it. I'm about to speak up, but Tris beats us both to it.

"Hi Jenna, I'm Tris." she says, holding her hand out to shake. "I'm sorry about my break down yesterday, it's nice to finally meet you."

"You too. I'm sorry for causing all this nonsense, had I known he met someone, I wouldn't have thrown myself at him like that." Jenna replies. It's friendlier and more chipper than Jenna's usual demeanor, but I can tell she's genuine and is giving Tris a glimpse of her rarely seen soft side.

"No worries. And really, it's understandable, he's something else." Tris says with a chuckle.

Jenna smiles and looks at me. "Meh." she teases.

Then she notices Tris' raven tattoos. "Wow, those are beautiful, very uniform. Where'd you get them done?" Jenna asks.

"My friend Ciara works at a shop in Santa Monica. She did them a couple years ago."

"Yours are beautiful too." Tris says, especially admiring the floral ink on her arms.

"Some of it I did myself. Others my co-worker Paul did. I just can't seem to get enough. I feel like I'm always thinking of something to add." she tells her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jenna says and goes near the door where she retrieves some bags, then tosses them on the couch. Tris and I look at her expectantly.

"I figured you guys would want some new clothes, so I ran by the nearest store earlier and grabbed you some things." she says.

Tris pulls out a handful of clothing and begins holding things up. Ranging from underwear and socks, to sweat pants, jeans and T-shirts. I pull out similar things, baffled that she did this for us. But she's right, we wore out our clothes since we had limited supply, and were rougher on them than usual. And it would feel great to put something new and comfortable on.

"Jen..." I begin, but she holds her hand up.

"Just accept it. You guys have been through a lot and I'm sure you don't exactly feel up to clothes shopping. The stuff may not fit great as I had to guess your sizes, but it's better than nothing, right?" she says.

Tris goes over and hugs her, thanking her for being so sweet and thoughtful.

After our moms collaborate and make a delicious lunch of sandwiches, we all sit around and eat and enjoy light conversation. After we're done, we insist on helping to clean up. So soon after, they all retreat to their rooms, including Jenna. Although I truly enjoy all their company, and am happy they're here, I'm also extremely pleased to finally be alone with my girl.

"C'mere." I tell her from where she leans against the back of the couch facing the door we just walked our family to. I pull her into a big hug and holder her tight. But then an idea pops into my head, so I reach down and put my arm under her legs and around her back to lift her. She scolds me and begs for me to put her down, but the beautiful sound of her laughter that goes along with it, makes me want to do anything but put her down.

I carry her to the large bathroom and set her up on the counter before leaning over and turning on the faucet to the large deep bathtub. That's one good thing about a nice hotel like this, an adequate size tub big enough for two.

I let it begin to fill with hot water, before turning back to Tris and help her pull her sweater over her head. I unclasp her bra and toss it to the ground as well. But as much as I want to, I don't fully touch her bare skin quite yet. I don't just want to jump into having sex with her because we're alone now. I want her to relax and feel relieved of all stress.

As I unsnap her jeans, she reaches down to the hem of my shirt and slowly lifts it over my head, letting the tips of her fingers trail delicately up my torso as she goes. It causes me to shiver and her lips quirk up even more.

We continue leisurely ridding each other of our remaining clothing before I lead her to the tub. I get in first and help her in to settle in front of me between my legs, her back to my chest.

As she slowly immerses herself into the steamy water, she lets out a long quiet moan.

"Thank you, it feels so good to enjoy hot water again." she says as she leans her head back onto my shoulder.

"I know, it's these types of things that I didn't realize I'd miss so much."

"Mmhmm." she agrees, then chuckles. "I'm surprised you fit into this tub, you're so tall. I guess this is a much bigger one than usual though."

"I've actually never taken a bath before. Well, besides as a baby or a kid. But not since then."

"Wow, really? Well, is it better or worse than you expected?"

"Definitely better." I reply immediately and she lets out a small laugh.

I reach for the clean washcloth that's hanging up nearby. I dunk it in the water to wet it, then lather it up in soap before soothing her body with it. I start with her shoulders and collar bone, then to her back. I dunk it again and help drip more of the hot water over her shoulders. She sighs in pleasure as she leans her head back against me again. My hand then works the cloth over her beautiful breasts, caressing them lovingly before trailing down her stomach and to her thighs. She lets out a long shaky breath as I near where she seems to want me most right now.

I'm sure she can feel me hard against her back, there's no way of hiding it. She's always able to get me harder than I ever thought possible.

As if reading my mind, I feel her hand snake behind her to grasp me and then it's my turn to let out a deep shaky breath.

My hand then trails to the junction of her thighs and I let my fingers explore.

She arches up against me, bringing her face closer to mine. So I take advantage of it and fit my mouth with hers. I kiss her softly at first, almost teasingly. But she presses up against me firmer, causing our kiss to ignite and my lips to burn and crave more of her. I brush my tongue against her lips and as if anticipating it, she lets me in immediately.

Kissing her is the most magical thing, it's like I feel dizzy dazed. And I have the strong need for more.

Thankfully she seems to be on the same track, as I already feel her contracting against my fingers that I've now been working her with for the last couple minutes.

I remain kissing her, while cradling her in my arms. My left hand cradling her breast and my right hand is still between her legs, helping her ride out her orgasm. Meanwhile her left hand covers mine over her breast, and her right arm is wrapped around my neck holding me close.

As we slowly pull away for air, she re-opens her eyes and gives me a lazy sated smile. I smile back, feeling incredible for being able to do that. I kiss her temple, then grab the wash cloth again and continue cleaning us as I had started before.

I then grab the removable faucet nozzle and turn the warm water back on as I wash her hair.

She seems so relaxed and serene, I don't expect it when she abruptly maneuvers positions to straddle my lap instead.

She gives me a devious smile and takes the faucet-head from me, seemingly intent on returning the favor of washing my hair.

It's incredible, here I was enjoying myself perfectly fine with just scrubbing and touching her, and relaxing here in a bathtub with this amazing and gorgeous girl. But she's got to kick it up a notch by climbing onto on my lap, legs wrapping around me, as she begins scrubbing my scalp with her finger nails. As if her hands massaging my scalp wasn't good enough, I have her perfect tits right in my face, and feel her warm folds pressing against my extremely hard manhood. My hands instinctually go back to hold onto her backside, admiring how perfectly her butt cheeks fill my palms.

"Tris..." I say as I attempt to control my breathing. My need for her is almost becoming unbearable.

"What?" she asks, giving me a playful smile as she gives my hair one final rinse to get all the shampoo out, then re-clips the faucet back into its place. "Tell me what you want Tobias." she says before biting her lip shyly and she runs her fingers through my hair again, looking over my face as if admiring what she sees. "We're finally truly alone together, behind locked doors. Now what are you going to do with me?" she encourages as her fingers continue their journey brushing back my hair.

"You really want to know?" I tease back, sneaking a quick nibble of her bottom lip.

"Mmhmm." she murmurs, encouraging me to speak up.

"Well, you've got me quite worked up here, so I'm not going to last long for round one." I say, moving my hips a bit so that my length rubs against her as proof. "So, if it's okay with you, I'd like to take you into that bedroom and fuck you good and hard." I tell her honestly with a shy smile, and she sucks in a breath and worries her lip a little more. But I can see she's smiling too and her breath quickens in anticipation. "Afterwards, we'll relax and revive a bit, maybe order room service for dinner, then we'll go for round two. Where I'll make sweet love to you all night." I tell her, hoping my bluntness isn't too much for her. But hey, she asked.

"Okay." she says and nods enthusiastically.

I grin, causing her to grin back and kiss her again. Her arms wrap around my neck and since her legs are still wrapped around my waist, I'm easily able to stand with her still attached to me. I don't stop kissing her as I grab a try towel and drape it over her back, giving her a rough rub down to dry her off, as I walk towards the bed. I lay her down on it and she immediately spreads her legs in invitation. I crawl on top of her and continue my onslaught of kisses as I slide into her. We both moan and I look into her eyes. First, to make sure she's okay. I really want to get moving like I had mentioned, but still want to make sure she's comfortable and is okay with it.

I know she sees the question in my eyes as I look at her and she stares back and whispers, "Fuck me Tobias, please."

With permission like that, I don't hold back as I begin to rock in and out of her. I hold her face and kiss her. "I love you." I tell her, looking at her intently as I lean back on my haunches a bit to pound into her from a different angle. I want her to know that even though this is a quick fuck, it's still love. Because it's me and her.

"I love you too." she replies and my pace quickens as I hold her hips up and in place, so that I can go deeper and harder.

Her moans escalate and it's to the point where maybe our parents could hear us from next door. But no way in hell am I telling her to keep it down. I'm too caught up and in the moment with her, it's like nothing else matters. She can moan all she wants for me, it just spurs me on.

As I feel myself getting close, I reach down and rub her, in hopes to get her there with me. But she must have been closer than I thought, because as soon as my thumb presses against her sensitive nub, she's gasping my name. Within moments, she's milking me along with her. My hips thrust more erratically a few more times as I spill into her and enjoy the sensational feeling of being intimate like this with her.

I practically collapse onto her, but I stay on my elbows so as not to hurt her. We lay there for a few minutes and enjoy our naked entwined bodies.

"Wow, I couldn't walk if I wanted to right now." she says after a moment, still trying to calm her panting.

"Was I too rough?"

"No, trust me, it was amazing." she says and we share a sweet kiss.

"Good, I'm glad we're in agreement." I say with a tired, but happy smile.

After I roll over and snuggle into the covers with her, we both take in the complete comfort that over takes our bodies as we cozy into a real bed with one another for the first time.

I hold her close and she wraps her leg and arm around me, enjoying the closeness as we both shut our eyes and quickly fall into a content sleep.

-/-/-/-

The next time I wake up, it's just after 8pm. So we slept quite a while. I look down at her beautiful face and smile to myself, so thankful she's back here and safe, and that she chooses to continue living life with _me_. I'm beyond relieved that our island experience wasn't the extent of our relationship.

As I yawn and blink my eyes open, my stomach grumbles, almost so loud I think it might wake her. So I carefully untangle my limbs from hers and get up to call room service. I order a few different things, craving too many things to narrow it down to just two plates.

She's still asleep when it arrives. I throw on some sweatpants, but don't bother with a shirt as I open the door. The delivery guy hands off the cart and I thank him with a generous tip.

It's the sound of the metal cart as I wheel it further into the room that finally makes her stir.

"Do I smell food?" she murmurs sleepily.

"Yes, I went ahead and ordered us a few things." I say as I line the food up on the coffee table.

I admire how cute she is when she stretches in bed. I go over and lean over her, helping to greet her from her slumber with my kisses. "Want me to bring you the food in here?" I ask.

"No, I don't want to spill crumbs in the bed. Let me just get a robe and we'll eat in there." she says with a smile.

"Okay." I say and kiss the tip of her nose.

She grabs one of the hotel provided soft white robes and wraps it around herself as I grab some glasses to pour some of the wine I also ordered.

She takes a seat on the couch and tucks her legs underneath her.

"I even missed how comfortable it is to sit on a couch." she says with a chuckle as she lays her head back.

"I know, that bed was especially amazing. That was a good nap too." I say with a smile.

"Mmmhmm." she agrees with a smirk.

"I just ordered us a few plates and figured we could share it all." I say, hoping that's fine with her. I guess maybe I should have asked what she might want.

"Sounds good to me, what'd you get? Show me already!" she says excitedly.

I lift the first lid from the plate, holding it up to let her take in the enticing smell and view of the mouthwatering food.

"First, we have a nice juicy cheeseburger and sweet potato fries with a garlic aioli to dip them in." I say, and she snatches up a fry before I set the plate down. "Chicken fettuccini alfredo." I say, removing the second lid, "Pizza" I say lifting the third lid, and then finally, the fourth. "and the wine and cheese platter."

"Wow, that's quite a spread. It looks so incredibly good. I'm like, beside myself." she chuckles, grabbing a second fry.

"I couldn't decide what to get, so I got us a variety. Plus, it's not like we've had a meal like this in a while. We deserve a good feast." I say, handing her one of the glasses of wine.

"I'm definitely not complaining." she says, tilting her nose towards the wine glass to inhale the fruity aroma of the Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Well, dig in m'lady. What'll you have first?" I ask.

"Hmm...I'll have to try a little of everything. But I better start with this pizza." she says as she grabs a slice.

We eat in comfortable silence for a short while. The TV plays some old movie, which we're half paying attention to. Primarily we're just focused on our food and each other.

"You're the best." she says with a grin as she leans back and pats her toned tummy as if it's huge and she's beyond full.

"I just know good food and I like of keep you fed." I say, leaning back as well.

"Was that really good food? Or was I just that anxious to not eat seafood and plants? I feel like it was ridiculously delicious." she ponders.

"It really was good. But it probably helped that we were deprived of that kind of stuff for the past couple weeks." I say, drinking the last of the wine in my glass. "What was your favorite?"

"New Zealander's know how to make a mean burger. But that Italian food, mmm." she says, as if still reliving it even though she's done eating.

"I agree. But we'd probably find even better Italian food in _Italy_."

"Is that a random fact? Or a suggestion?" she asks. I swear I see a hint of a hopeful smile.

"Suggestion. But I go where you go. If you'd rather stay put, I'm fine with that."

"You still want to travel the world?" she asks.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." I tell her honestly.

"Well, we should probably go back home and see family and friends first. But maybe after a couple months, we do it?" she proposes.

"You want to travel with me? We're really going to do it?" I ask, a giant excited grin on my face.

She grins too and nods frantically. "Let's do it."

**-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**Thank you for your patience! It's been a rough past couple of weeks. So didn't get this posted as soon as I had hoped. And even still, this**** chapter was slightly shorter than usual. But will try to get the next chapter up this coming weekend. It'll pick up immediately from where this one left off.**

**Once again, thank you for the wonderful reviews, follows and favorites on the previous chapter. You're awesome!**

**Also, thank you again to my friend and beta, Ractre1127.**

**Last but not least, the picture collage to correlate with this chapter will be up soon. My username is: ****madisonr1129**

**Until next time...**


	12. Chapter 12

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story.**

** Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 12:**

**~~TRIS POV~~**

"Really?" he asks, seemingly surprised and excited.

"Yeah, that's always been my dream. Why should this plane crash stop me? Plus, now it will be that much better since I'll have you to accompany me." I say, still grinning like crazy, extremely excited at the prospect of this idea.

"Exactly my thought." he says. "My family and friends never really encouraged this adventurous side of mine. I'm glad you do." he says.

"We only live once. Got to make the most of it." I reply, squeezing his hand.

"I agree. I always told people, I don't want to travel to escape life. I want to travel so that life doesn't escape me."

"So philosophical." I say.

"Eh, I'm just trying to seduce you." he says and his smile turns a bit devious.

"Is that so?" I ask, obviously knowing where he's taking this conversation.

"Mmhmm." he says as he leans over to kiss me softly.

As our tongues mingle with one another, his hand slips into my robe to smooth over my skin, causing the robe to slip off my shoulder. Which he then trails kisses to, before going to my collarbone.

"I love your skin." he mumbles against it.

"I love how you kiss it." I reply, carding my fingers through his hair.

It's true. I love how his lips feel on me. Soft, yet firm, and full of purpose. It makes my skin tingle with desire.

As his mouth goes lower and presses to my breasts, I can't help but arch into him. It seems like every time he does that, my body reacts and just needs to be closer to him.

But this time, he's able to continue his trail of kisses even further. He looks up at me with that excited look he gets. It's somehow a look of excitement, love and feral need. Like I'm the prey he's about to devour. Which, where he's headed, seems not that far off. Making my body sing and tremor with anticipation.

As his lips dip further down, his hands reach up and lay me back across the couch. He then unites the knot of the robe to expose me completely.

His hands slide up from my ankles, up my legs, until they reach my knees, which he gently parts.

He then changes his own position so that he is on his stomach with his face between my legs. Just the sensation of having him that close, his breath on my sensitive skin, gets me going. Especially at the sight of him there, his broad bare shoulders and chest between my legs.

"Fuck, you're so sexy Tris." he says as he peppers kisses on my inner thighs, and then drags his tongue around the area where I crave him most. It's as if I'm wearing invisible panties and he's running his tongue along edges of the garment. So it's just that much more of a tease.

His lips continue pressing open mouthed kisses around the area, still not meeting it and it's driving me crazy with need.

"You're such a tease." I tell him finally, lifting my hips so that his mouth finally almost meets the junction of my legs.

"Just savoring every bit of you." he says with a smile as he looks up at me, while hovering his mouth over me.

I bite my lip and smile back down at him. That mouth. Those eyes.

His sex appeal is remarkable.

He presses feather light kisses to where I yearn for him most right now.

"Mmmm..." he groans as if pleased with the contact.

But it's my moan of complete pleasure that slices through the quiet hotel room.

Only minutes after he begins, as he laps at my wet folds, licking and kissing until it's unbearable to hold on any longer, I press my arm across my face in hopes to muffle my noises. The last thing I want is for our parents to hear us. But the things he does to me, makes it hard for me to contain my voice.

After coming down from my immense high, he lifts his head. The sight of his dark, disheveled hair, eyes glinting with longing in the lamp light, the gorgeous spread of his shoulders, tapering down to the narrow thrust of his hips, makes me ache deep in my belly all over again.

"Wow." I pant, throwing my head back against the arm of the couch. "You are...just, wow." I repeat, feeling speechless.

"You still up for round 2 like I mentioned?" he asks sweetly.

"Absolutely." I reply as I lean up and kiss his bare shoulder, then collarbone, as I reach down and slide my hand in his pajama pants. I'm happy to see that he's ready for me, but for the first time since we've been together, we don't feel rushed. I lift my lips to his and we share a long languid passionate kiss.

The last scraps of our clothing are tossed aside as we continue kissing our way back to the bedroom.

As he climbs on top of me and slides in, we moan in unison.

He looks into my eyes as he makes love to me. Those deep gorgeous love filled eyes that make me feel like I could melt. Occasionally, we share kisses and sweet words.

It's so incredible to be with him like this, let alone in an actual bed without any interruptions, time restraints, or possibilities of people stumbling on us. Plus, no mosquito bites or cold chilling breezes.

It is feels surreal, like a fantasy.

For the next couple of hours, we seem to be in our own utopia, where it's just he and I and the pleasure that is us, together.

We try several positions, all wonderful in their own way. But one thing that I notice, is that he always makes sure he's able to hold me, touch me, kiss me. I've always felt his love when we are together. But this time, it feels like a little more. Like we're sealing a promise. Or like, we're finally able to fully be together, no inhibitions. It's a connection that I didn't know could get any better.

After he empties himself deep inside me, we roll onto our backs, staring at the ceiling in awe. My body feels like lead from the exhaustion of the physical movement of our love making, but the intense orgasm after orgasm he gave me, made me feel light as air. It's a unique and wonderful combination of feelings.

When we catch our breath, we both simultaneously turn to look at one another. Tired grins on our faces.

He pulls me over to him, where I lay my face on his chest, my ear over his heart. He wraps his arm around me and holds me close. He whispers how much he loves me and I happily return the sentiment before dozing off to sleep.

**-/-/-/-**

"So yeah, that's how it all went down." I say to Christina, after briefly explaining the conversation between Tobias and me after the whole Jenna curveball, as well as the introductions of our parents.

"So, you guys are like, in love? For real? And you're staying together?" she asks, a sweet hopeful smile playing her lips, as if she's watching a romantic chick flick.

"You don't have to look at me like I'm Meg Ryan or something, but yeah. We are." I say. Even though I've only known Christina as long as I've known Tobias, we've become close too. We've become good friends through everything, and I'm glad that we're going to remain that way.

"I can't say I'm all that surprised. I've seen the way you two are with each other. I think all the people on that jet would say the same."

I smile and offer a shrug, not knowing what to say.

"So, then you came back here..." she says and pauses as if hoping I'll fill in the blanks. "...and you're obviously sharing a hotel room if he's in your shower..." she continues.

"Your point is?" I ask, hoping the conversation isn't headed where I think it is.

"You banged for hours, didn't you?" Christina asks, biting back a grin. Even though she looks at me with excitement waiting for my confirmation, her question had come out more like a statement as if she already knows the answer.

"What makes you think I'm actually going to talk to you about any of this?" I reply, avoiding the topic as I sip on my hot mug of coffee.

"Because, I'm your fun awesome female friend that hasn't been laid in a while. And don't forget I helped make sure that Jenna chick didn't stand in the way. So you know you want to fill me in on juicy details. Besides, there's no denying it. I checked into this hotel yesterday afternoon and your family said not to disturb you two, as you two were 'resting'. But you've been holed up in here together for what, like 24 hours? No way you haven't been in here doin' the dirty."

"Well for your information, after my parents and Jenna had lunch with us yesterday, we took a long much needed nap, had some dinner and watched movies, then went to bed. Now here we are, at..." I say, looking over my shoulder to see the clock on the wall in the hotel room, from where I sit with my friend on the balcony in our sweats. "Noon." I say, after reading that it says 12:02pm. "So we haven't been _holed up in here _all that long."

"It's still plenty of time to have some physical fun with Mr. Greek God Eaton." she says.

I roll my eyes but can't help but laugh. She really has been a wonderful friend. And when it comes to Tobias and I's relationship, she's been nothing but supportive. Even with the physical stuff, I guess she kind of even encouraged that with pointing out that more private area of beach, encouraging us to have some alone time there.

"Fine, no details. But yes, I'll admit we had long night of fun." I say, hoping that answer will suffice.

"I bet he's incredible in bed. He seems like he'd definitely know what he's doing. And I bet he's hung like a-" she begins, but is interrupted by the sliding door to the balcony opening.

Out steps Tobias in sweat pants and a t-shirt, with his wet hair and fresh smelling scent.

He seems oblivious as to what we were just talking about, but we begin to giggle and he looks at us funny. But then he smirks, probably having a good guess of the topic.

"Sorry to interrupt." he begins and leans down to kiss the top of my head, while his hand rests on my knee that I have propped up on the patio chair with me. "But I was going to make a late breakfast. You girls want some too?"

"Sure." I reply, looking at him with a smile.

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer." Christina says.

"You're not hungry?" I ask her, hoping she's not just saying that to be polite or give us more privacy.

"Well, I am hungry. But I have plans to meet Will down at the hotel restaurant for lunch at 12:30." she says with what I see for the first time ever, a _shy_ smile on her face.

"Ah, I see. That sounds fun. Is it just the two of you?" I tease, knowing that they obviously like each other.

"Yep. In fact, I should probably get going." she says, standing up. "I'll see you two in a couple of hours." she says, referring to the meeting we have with Lucy about PR stuff.

"I knew I noticed her walking funny on her way out here. Good job big fella." she adds, patting Tobias' arm as she scoots by him.

Once she leaves, Tobias looks at me amused, his eyebrows raised in question.

"She weaseled it out of me. But I didn't go into details, I only admitted to it happening." I explain.

"I don't care." he chuckles as he sits in Christina's vacant seat. "Whatever you wish to share with your close friends is fine with me. I trust you'll keep the right stuff private between the two of us." he says.

As if this guy couldn't get any better or more understanding.

I smile at him with gratitude and we prop our feet on each other's chairs as we look out at the beautiful New Zealand mountains. It truly is a gorgeous place, and I'm excited to do a bit of exploring before we head back to the U.S.

After we eat, we get dressed to go down to the meeting with Lucy. It's agreed that any of our family that has come here to New Zealand, is welcome to attend the meeting as well. So we meet our parents outside their rooms and make our way down to the conference room together.

I know the upcoming weeks, maybe even months, may not be easy. But right now, it doesn't seem all that bad. I feel confident that I'll get over being in the temporary spot light that is soon going to be upon us, as it won't be me alone. It will be us. I feel him squeeze my hand comfortingly as we exit the elevator, as if he was reading my mind.

Just like the confidence he gave me when we were stranded on that island. I feel like we can overcome it if we do it all together.

I smile at him in a silent thank you for being by my side throughout all of this.

When I think about it, I know he isn't exactly one to enjoy the spot light either. But here he is willing to do what he can to help me through my anxieties. So I make a promise to myself to be there for him too. I can't be so selfish. After all, I love him, and would do anything for him. So we're in this together, as a team.

Lucy greets us in her navy blue pencil skirt and blazer as we enter the meeting room that holds a large oblong table and several seats. Will, Christina, Amar and Johanna are already here. After we take our seats, Marlene and Uriah enter the room, followed shortly after by Zeke and another woman I don't recognize. But I assume may be his wife, by the way his arm is around her and she clings to him. They take the empty seats across from us and he immediately begins to introduce us.

"Tobias, Tris, this is my wife, Shauna." he says proudly and she outstretches her hand to shake ours.

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Tobias says.

"He talks about you all the time." I add.

She looks at Zeke with a warm smile, then back to us.

"Thank you. He told me about you two as well. I'm so glad you are all okay. And that you have become friends and helped each other out throughout that whole ordeal."

Just as we begin introducing her to our parents that sit on either side of us, the rest of the group ends up joining us. I hadn't realized _everyone_ that was on the island with us, would be here, and as I had heard some needed to stay longer at the hospital. But I'm glad they're all here and doing better.

Lucy gets everyone's attention at the head of the table. She has a few other people there with her. One is diligently taking notes on a big pad of paper, while another types away on a lap top. The third person appears to be a lawyer or something, and just sits nearby ready to listen in on the meeting.

As she sets down her glass of water, Lucy begins to tell us the whole scoop. She tells us about what happened from the public's perspective, the announcement of our jet going missing, the way the search crews assured the news that they were still looking. And how towards the end, it was more of a search for answers, than the search for survivors. By then, they were just hoping to at least find the remnants of a broken plane and bodies to recover.

This particular bit of news saddens us all, and once again, I feel Tobias' squeeze my hand as a comforting gesture.

"So, as you know, many talk shows want you to do interviews, and several newspaper and magazine journalists want your story as well. The question is, are you willing? And if so, how much do you want to share?" Lucy asks, but quickly continues on. "We do encourage you to do a few, at least the big ones, so that the truth of the story is told. Rather than the nonsense that the media can twist these things into if nobody speaks. Plus, the world was rooting for you, and want to hear and see for themselves that you're all alive and well." she explains.

"So what do you suggest?" Amar asks.

"Well, I know you've been through a lot, and being in the media and on TV is probably the last thing you want to deal with. You'd probably rather spend time getting back to your friends and family, get back to living life." she begins. We all nod along in agreement except Nita who seems surprised that we don't wish for the media hype. I guess I'm not surprised that she would like the attention.

"So, I suggest we plan to agree on one big segment, where all of you will attend. Then we'll simply hold a press conference for the rest of the papers and whatnot to get their stories. By inviting the press to a special event like that, you'll have a good opportunity to present the story in the most favorable light. It will be on your terms. My team of publicists and I would of course be present in both situations, to help lay down ground rules and stray away from questions you wish not to answer, such as anything too personal. Then as far as magazines go, I say we just pick one or two, a couple of big ones that we know will do it right." she says before finally sitting. "Time is precious though, they want their stories ASAP. And the sooner we can make some decisions, the less likely they'll begin their own spin on things. So, talk amongst yourselves for a few minutes and we'll take a vote to see if this sounds like a plan." she adds.

At that, the group of us around the table all begin whispering and murmuring to each other our thoughts about all of this.

I look to Tobias and he's already looking at me for my thoughts.

"What do you think?" he asks.

"The idea of a large TV segment and a big press conference definitely sound daunting. But it could be worse. In fact, I guess I even assumed it was going to be worse. Especially when I had originally heard that so many networks wanted us to do segments." I say.

"I agree. Yesterday, Lucy had made it sound like we'd have a schedule full of late night talk shows and interviews. So I'm glad that after hearing out our apprehensive feelings, she is taking them into consideration and offering these simpler steps to share the story." he says.

"Plus, I guess she's right, it's better for us to tell it how it was. Rather than their take on it all." I agree.

"So, we vote yes for this plan?" he asks. I shrug and nod and he leans over for a quick chaste kiss on the lips. I rub his knee under the table and he smiles.

We discuss it for another few minutes with our parents and friends that are sat nearby.

But then Lucy asks for our attention again and offers to answers any questions people may have. After she gets them all covered, it still sounds like the best choice.

"All in favor of this plan, raise your hand." she finally announces.

All of us do.

"Alright then, it's unanimous. I will make some calls to book these events and will pull together a schedule. Let's meet up here again tomorrow, same time, same place. We'll discuss further details at that point."

"Thank you for your help." Johanna tells her and we all agree.

"I'm happy to be of help. In the meantime, you can assume we'll be heading to Los Angeles in a week or so to begin all this stuff. And it will take a few weeks. So make sure you keep the rest of the month free. After that you can decide what you wish to do next.

I'm still nervous, but not as much as I had been.  
>Especially when I think about how this time next month, it should be over with. So as Lucy said, we can attempt to get back to our lives.<p>

That's what excites me most, and gives me motivation to get all this crap out of the way sooner rather than later. It's the prospect of what is in our future that makes me want to endure this and strive through it. Because I want Tobias and I to be together. I want to travel the world together.

It's hard to fully grasp that it's really going to happen. But it will. The world is our oyster.

**-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-**

**Thank you SO much for all the amazing reviews! Please keep them coming to let me know what you think!**

**Also, thank you to my friend Ractre1127 for all your help!**

**Yes, this story is wrapping up soon. But we still have a few more chapters.**

**I'm hoping to get chapter 13 posted next weekend. **

**Until then, have a Happy Thanksgiving!**

**:)**


	13. Chapter 13

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story.**

**Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 13:**

**~~TRIS POV~~**

"Attention all passengers, this is your pilot speaking. Please fasten your seat belts and lift and lock your tray tables, as we begin our decent towards our destination, LAX." the pilot says over the speaker in drawn out words like the cliché airline pilot would, before continuing. "It's a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles, a high of 72 degrees. Current wind conditions are steady, around 10mph and heading South-East. Our estimated time of arrival is 4:55pm."

Being on this plane back to California hasn't been exactly easy. When you experience what we did, it's hard to feel completely comfortable on a jet at 40,000 feet in the air. But the small pocket size bottle of Jack Daniels that the flight attendant offered me, has helped some. Plus, I have Tobias to my right, holding my hand. I also have my dad to my left, where he leans forward to see Tobias better as they currently talk baseball. I originally liked the idea of sitting between them, but seeing as my dad wants to talk Tobias' ear off, I seem to just be a barrier blocking their conversation. But I don't mind. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Being with my family is something I'll never take for granted again.

My mother is seated behind me, next to Evelyn and Johanna. In front of us, is Will, Christina and Jenna. The rest of our crash flight passengers are on this plane as well, as we're all heading back to settle down more and recover a bit more back in the States. As well as prepare for the media segments that we agreed to do over the next few weeks.

As we carefully gravitate towards the ground, I find my hand squeezing Tobias' even more, waiting for the inevitable impact. Although this landing will surely be better than our last one, it's still nerve wracking.

But I'm determined to overcome my fear. Not only because I need to if I truly want travel the world with Tobias, but also simply for the sake of myself. Because I don't want this one experience to define me. I don't want to be scared forever. So I take a deep breath and feel Tobias' thumb rub back and forth on the top of my hand. I look to him and he gives me a confident and loving smile, reminding me everything is going to be okay.

The simple gesture is so comforting and loving, that it helps calm my nerves and I offer a small smile in return.

My heart continues to beat rapidly in my chest, but it no longer has to do with the scraping and jostling of our jet's landing gear touching the ground. My heart continues its staccato because of the way he looks at me, the way he touches me, the way he communicates to me with these simple gestures.

I know he's truly there for me now, and that he always will be. He's my anchor. It just makes me love him all the more.

As the aircraft slows to taxi speed, my dad gives me a smile and pats my knee before beginning to gather his stuff. I look to Tobias and smile bigger.

"What?" he asks with a small inquisitive smile.

"Thank you. You help me more than you know." I say quietly before giving him a chaste kiss.

"You too ya know." he replies and leans in for another quick peck on my lips. I can feel he wants to indulge in it more, but keeps it quick and equally chaste, since we have so many people around, including our parents.

We begin gathering our stuff, and as it halts to a stop at the gate, the seatbelt buckle light goes off and everyone begins to stand and stretch from the long flight.

I watch as Tobias stands and stretches too, and how the little bit of bare skin is revealed where his shirt lifts up. I feel like I have to physically force my hands _not_ to reach out and touch it. Instead, I bite my cheek to keep myself in check and begin to stand as well.

-/-/-/-/-

"Are you sure you don't mind us staying here mom?" I ask as we carry our bags into my childhood home.

"Of course not sweetheart. You two are welcome here whenever you'd like, and for as long as you'd like."

"Thank you Natalie." Tobias says, finally remembering to call her that instead of Mrs. Prior as he usually does before she corrects him.

"Here Evelyn, I'll show you the guest bedroom where you'll be staying." my mom tells her as they make their way upstairs.

"Just no funny business under this roof. I don't think I can handle that." my dad chimes in with a teasing smile as he helps us to carry our bags to my old room, which has been slightly converted into an office since I moved out. But thankfully my queen sized bed is still in there.

"Dad!" I admonish, slightly embarrassed.

He just chuckles and shrugs before excusing himself to go order us all a couple pizzas for dinner.

After he leaves the room, I plop on the bed and let out an exasperated sigh while glancing at Tobias only to see his amused expression.

He just lets out a small laugh at my uncomfortable demeanor.

"Don't be embarrassed, that was a very fatherly thing for him to say." he offers as he sits beside me.

"I guess I should just be glad they don't expect you to sleep on the couch." I say. "I'm sure that would have been the case if it weren't for our circumstances."

"Probably true. And I'm glad for that as well."

"You mean to say you're looking forward to this nice big comfortable bed with me?" I tease.

"Obviously I'm looking forward to it! Sex or not, I'll never get tired of sleeping in a cozy bed with you." he says, rubbing circles on my lower back now.

"It's going to be hard to keep my hands to myself." I tell him, squeezing his knee. He lets out a small abrupt laugh and jerks his leg because I know exactly how to squeeze it to tickle him. But it turns into a quiet low grown as I trail my hand up his thigh and I tease him with my mouth kissing his jaw, then nibbling slightly on his neck below his ear.

"Dammit Tris." he scolds unconvincingly as he reaches down to adjust himself in his jeans. After glancing down, I realize I really have worked him up and his pants seem much less comfortable and tight now. I'm sure we're both thankful my dad closed the door behind him as he exited the room.

"Sorry?" I try, but my apology is unconvincing. I like that I can do that to him, so it's difficult to truly be sorry about it.

He playfully rolls his eyes before kissing me. I kiss back, but pull away before letting it get out of hand. I know neither of my parents would be opposed to barging in at any moment, unannounced.

"I love you." he says. "Even though you have a Justin Timberlake poster behind your childhood bedroom door." he says with a smirk and I laugh. Not only because he noticed it and knew who the picture was of, but also because my parents apparently never bothered to take it down.

"I love you too." I say. "Even though you're no J.T."

"Thank you for overlooking my lesser good looks and musical talent." he teases.

"Oh shut up, he's got nothing on you." I say and kiss the corner of his mouth before standing up. I reach out for his hand and pull him towards the door. "C'mon, let's get out there before they come looking for us."

He grins and puts his arm around my waist as we head towards the kitchen.

-/-/-/-/-

"Alright, everyone is done with hair and make-up." Lucy says, glancing at her watch and then looks to the show's executive producer. "We're all set when you are."

"Okay, we're live in 10 minutes, let's get everyone seated." he says to his surrounding team.

At that, the group of us are lead from the large green room to the set stage where there are chairs lined up in a row, and bar stools are lined up behind them. Just enough seating for the 15 of us to be seated and visible to the live audience and cameras.

The seating is somewhat facing the two plush chairs that will seat Kirk Anderson and Pamela Reynolds, the hosts of one of America's favorite talk shows "Good Morning U.S.A.", which is the one and only actual TV show that Lucy booked for us to do an interview with. We had done rehearsals last night, and although it went smoothly, it didn't exactly quell my nervousness at getting ready to go on air LIVE.

Tobias doesn't exactly seem eager to be here either, but he doesn't seem as nervous at speaking like I am. I know he's more concerned with how they may slip in some personal questions that were clearly noted should not be asked.

Thankfully I'm sat next to him. Having him near me helps. We're not in the seats closest to the hosts, as that's Amar and Will. But I can't help but notice we're front and center. I wish we were in the back row, less exposed.

Before I know it, they're doing the countdown, and I see the red light on the camera illuminate.

"Goooood Morning U.S.A." drawls out the enthusiastic female host with a tv-ready smile. "Kirk and I are here today, with the 15 brave survivors of flight 421, which was intended to go to New Zealand, but due to mechanical failure, was set off course and had to do a crash landing on a deserted island just a few weeks ago."

"Yes Pam," Kirk begins reading his lines from the teleprompter. "We're looking forward to hearing a bit about their experience with that terrifying flight, as well as their fight for survival on that island. We'll get the inside scoop, from _their_ first-hand perspective.

I watch from my seat as they proceed to introduce the pilots of the jet. They ask them what the issues were with the plane, how they handled them under such stressful circumstances, and how they spotted the bit of land to attempt a landing on.

Amar and Will explain it all perfectly and do quite well on camera. They both seem natural with public speaking and they banter back and forth well with the hosts.

After they cover the areas with them, they move to the upper row of people, which includes; Harrison, George, Al, Eric, Zeke, Uriah and Marlene. They introduce each of them and seem to have a question or two ready for each to answer. Whether it be regarding their experience during the crash, the injuries they incurred, what they did to help find food and water, build a fire, and so on.

After a commercial break, they move on to those of us in the front row. First, they go to Nita and Lauren, who are introduced as the two flight attendants. Just like the others, they ask them a few questions. But Nita takes advantage of her TV moment, by going into extra detail of her hardships throughout the ordeal, such as her injuries and anxieties, how terrifying it all was to her. She definitely plays into the whole 'victim' bit, exaggerating quite a bit about everything, describing days and moments as if everyone is hanging on her every word. And to her benefit, the hosts seem to be, and they allow the extra airtime she's taking.

But I don't mind. After all, she hasn't brought Tobias or me into any topics, much to my relief. Plus, the longer they let her talk, hopefully the less I'll have to.

However, as she finally concludes her story of being 'wildly and fiercely attacked by an unknown species of a jungle spider', I know it's almost my turn. Which makes my palms sweat and my heart rate to increase.

"Well, that's quite an interesting story. We're glad you're doing better and have recovered from the bite. Now moving on, we have here Tobias Eaton and Tris Prior." Kirk says, as the hosts look to us next.

I had a feeling they'd approach us together. We had agreed to acknowledge that we're a couple if they were to ask, as we feel it's nothing to hide or be ashamed about. But made it clear we'd only go into so much detail, as we still prefer to keep our relationship and personal life private.

"We hear you two made the most of this whole experience, and found love despite it all. Is it true that you two are a couple now? Can you tell us how that came to be? Was it love at first sight?" Pamela asks with a hopeful smile. She seems overly eager to chat with us, as she berates us with several questions all at once. So far, having nothing to do with the actual crash or island experience.

"Yes, Tris and I are together." Tobias replies with a smile, he looks to me briefly and his smile grows, before he turns back to the hosts. "We became quick friends, and had so much time to get to know each other, I guess our relationship blossomed quicker than either of us expected. But it's been great, even on the island. It helped us stay motivated to keep up and survive under the circumstances. We cheered each other on with encouragement when times got tough." he explains.

His answer takes me partially by surprise. Not the content of the answer itself, as that's all very true. But the length at which he spoke was more than I expected. I'm thankful he's willing to provide the answer thoroughly enough to appease them, and to avoid any awkwardness that I would have likely provided with my simple yes or no answers since I can't seem to get over my stage fright.

"What wonderful things to hear. It sounds like you two really share something special. Do you think you would have ended up together if this whole plane crash hadn't happened? Tell us your thoughts on that." Kirk asks us, but this time, all eyes are on me as if they want me to provide this answer.

I feel like Tobias is about to speak up and answer on behalf of us anyway, but I decide I need to overcome this fear, just like anything else. So I answer the best I can, considering the words just begin tumbling from my mouth.

"That's kind of a tough question to answer, since it _did_ happen the way it did." I begin, but I don't pause long before continuing. "If the plane hadn't crashed, we'd barely know each other at this point. Sure, we would have been co-workers, working in offices nearby to one another at the new hotel. But I only first met Tobias when we were in flight. So I definitely think the whole situation being altered would have changed the process of getting to know each other. But to specifically answer your question if we '_would have ended up together?'_, I feel confident the answer is still yes, I believe we would have. Because as cheesy as it sounds, I truly feel like fate has brought us together because we're meant to be. I think it would probably have taken us longer to get to where we are now, but overall, I feel that it was inevitable."

After I get all that out, I let out a long breath of relief. I did it. Not only did I give a good lengthy honest answer, I somehow didn't screw up. I smile shyly after, still intimidated by the lights and people staring at me.

"That might be the sweetest thing I ever heard." Pam says with a heartfelt smile, as if she's taken aback by our love story.

"What do you think of that?" Kirk asks Tobias. I guess, referring to my little speech of an answer.

I look at Kirk for a moment, confused by his question. But then I look to Tobias to see his reaction, and find that he's already looking at me with a small smile, aimed only at me, as his eyes bore into mine. He looks at me with such love and adoration, I guess what I said meant a lot to him.

"I agree with Tris, wholeheartedly." he says, still looking at me.

I can tell we both want to lean in for a kiss, or a touch of some sort. As we share a moment of admiring one another's words. But we withhold such actions as we remember we're still on live TV. And we don't want to draw much attention to us, in hopes this doesn't get blown out of proportion and cause people to drag out this unwanted glimpse of stardom towards us. This is still just he and I. Not us and the world.

"What would you say was each other's biggest talent on that island? Anything you feel the other became particularly good at or assisted with the overall survival of you and your group?"

Tobias begins to talk about how as we trekked around the island for any source of life, food and water. He mentions how I had a talent for scouting edible plants and fruit, which ultimately helped us all stay fed. Then explains how I also discovered a talent for catching lobsters and other crustaceans.

But I end up chiming in with my own many compliments about my boyfriend. He deserves much more praise than I do. So I explain how amazing he was at building shelter, how awesome he is at spear fishing, and how his idea of creating black smoke with the jet tires is what got us noticed and saved, amongst a few other details of how awesome he truly is. I also mention how helpful and wonderful the whole crew had been, how everyone did well with keeping a cool head, supported each other, and heavily relied on teamwork.

After they seem satisfied with us, they move onto Christina and Johanna, before concluding the show by congratulating us on our bravery and accomplishments, and thanking us for our inspiration and coming out to tell our story.

The live studio audience gives us a standing ovation with a big applause, making us feel slightly awkward. We just offer small smiles and nods, not really wanting to applaud ourselves along with them. But leave it to Nita to stand and bow as a thank you.

I realize they might have actually captured my eye roll on camera. I'm sure the publicist with scold me for that. Oh well.

-/-/-/-/-

"You did amazing." Tobias tells me as we approach the SUV that was sent to drive us here to the studio, and now back to my parent's house since we're done.

We slide in and buckle up. He holds my hand and kisses it, before resting it in his lap, keeping me close as the driver begins to leave the lot.

"Yeah, I did better than I thought I would."

"What made you change your mind and speak up so much?" he asks.

"I guess I decided that I didn't want anyone to speculate or think we're together just for publicity. Even though I don't want them all up in our business, what they _do_ know, I want to be the truth. So I figured being honest would be the best, and it just kind of flowed from my mouth from there." I chuckle.

"Well, I think it was perfect." he says, giving me a brief kiss as we round the corner towards the highway.

"Hey Sam, do you mind driving us through In-N-Out Burger on the way home? I'll buy you some too." Tobias offers to the driver.

"No problem Sir." Sam says, smiling to us in the rear view mirror.

"Call me Tobias." he says, not preferring any special treatment.

"I haven't had In-N-Out in so long, it sounds so good." I say with a groan of hunger.

"I know, I've been craving it like crazy." he says.

"You nervous about the magazine interview and photo shoot in a couple days?" he asks after a few minutes.

"Kind of. But not like I was about Good Morning U.S.A., live TV is much worse." I reply, with a soft sigh. "Did you hear about the "welcome home" after party People is having for us after, as thank you doing their magazine?"

"I heard Zeke and Shauna mention it. Do you want to go?" he asks.

"Sure, it sounds pretty fun. Well, assuming you go too. And if there won't be paparazzi or anything." I reply. But thankfully the paparazzi hasn't been too bad. It was much worse after we first got rescued. Everyone wanted the first natural shots of the 'epic survivors' as it had been announced all over the news.

"Yeah, sounds good to me. Maybe even like a date. I like it." he says.

"A date with a couple hundred other people. But sure, you can call it that if you'd like." I tease.

"Well, now that you say it that way, I won't call it that. I'd rather our first official date be special." he says.

"I'm looking forward to it." I say with a smile.

"You should be, it'll be the best date you've ever been on."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Good." he says, kissing my temple. "You'll see, I'll knock your socks off."

**-/-/-/-**

**A/N- **

**Thank you for your patience everyone! It was a crazy week, so didn't get this posted as soon as I had hoped. But better late than never, right?**

**Chapter 14 will likely be up in about a week, maybe sooner. **

**This story is wrapping up pretty soon. But I have a new story in the works, so I will have that one ready to begin posting as soon as this one is done. **

**Thank you SOOO much for all your reviews, follows and favorites! You are so wonderful and encouraging. It's definitely what helps motivate me to keep updating every week or so. :)**

**I'm also on Tumblr if you want to come hang out! madisonr1129**


	14. Chapter 14

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story.**

**Also, this story is rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 14:**

**~~TOBIAS POV~~**

"That was so not a foul!" Zeke exclaims as we sit and watch the game on TV.

He and Shauna decided to rent a house here in LA for a while, even got a place with a finished basement for Uriah to stay in. It's not very furnished at this point, but especially with the compensation that the company provided, he was able to get the basics pretty quickly.

So here we sit like two typical guy friends, watching sports as we sip on our beers, occasionally snacking on the nachos that sit before us on the coffee table. It's nice to hang out so casually. I'm glad Zeke and I have become good friends.

Shauna is very nice as well, at got along with the girls right away. In fact, she, Christina and Tris went shopping together this afternoon, because they 'just needed stuff'.

"So, where are you going to take her on this date of yours?" Zeke asks as it goes to commercial break.

"I still don't know exactly. I want it to be nice, like above and beyond better than a usual first date. But I've never been great at this stuff." I admit.

"She will be happy with whatever you do, you know that. She's not going to be picky about a fancy restaurant or anything." he says, taking a swig of his Heineken.

"I know. But I guess that's why I want it to be unique and special. She's different than all the other girls I've dated."

"You'll figure out something good. Just trust your instincts."

"I like how you're encouraging me, but giving me no actual advice or suggestions." I say with a small laugh.

He grins and shrugs. "Trust me, you don't want suggestions from me. I'm terrible with dates."

"You can't be that bad. You're married, and Shauna is awesome."

"For our first date, I took her to a baseball game, not realizing that although she loves sports, she doesn't care for baseball. Then at the game, she got hit in the face by a fly ball. I reached out to catch it, obviously seeing it coming. But I missed it." he says laughing and I can't help but join in, despite how bad I feel for his wife. "I fucking missed it dude." he repeats.

"And to make it better," he says, shaking his head and still laughing, "Just a few minutes after that, I took a bite of my hot dog and it squirt ketchup out the end, right onto her sweatshirt."

"Damn, nice luck man, huh?" I say, shaking my head too. This conversation is amusing, but it's almost making me worry more now. What if I screw up?

"Yeah well, that was just the start of my ridiculousness. Yet somehow, she still fell in love with me. But you sir, don't have to worry about that, because Tris is already in love with you. So just take her out and show her a good time."

"I guess you're right." I reply, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I am. She'll love it no matter what. Just have fun and don't over think it."

**-/-/-/-/-**

**~~TRIS POV~~**

I step out of the shower, happy to have washed all the sweat off after Tobias and I helped my dad with all the yard work. After helping him, I had gone inside to help my mom make a light lunch, while Tobias stayed outside and helped my dad begin to build his new shed.

After we all ate, he said he still had to finish up with my dad, but insisted I just go shower and get ready for our date which was to start in about an hour. He left me with a quick sweet kiss, before grabbing his hammer and getting back to work.

But now as I stand here drying off, I realize I don't know what I should wear since I have no idea where we're going. Is this date like, go-all-out and get dressed up for a fancy restaurant kind of date? Or is this like- hey, we already know and love each other, so no need to impress, we'll just keep it casual? Not that I mind either way, but I feel a bit unprepared.

Tobias hasn't hinted at all as to what our date will entail, and has refused to give in when I prod for hints. But he seemed to like my curiosity, saying it was cute, so I kept it up.

But now, I do need _some_ sort of direction since I need an outfit.

So I put on a robe and shuffle around my parent's house looking for him.

I see my dad reading the newspaper at the table and my mom working on her scrapbook next to him.

"Where is Tobias?" I ask them.

"He went out for a bit. Said he'll be back by 4 o'clock for your date." my dad replies.

"He went out?" I ask, surprised. Where he would have gone? And why? ...Maybe for new clothes too? But Jenna had got him some nice stuff, so I don't think he'd really care about that.

"Yes, he borrowed the car to run a couple errands. He'll be back soon, so I suggest getting dressed." my mother says.

"You know what he's up to, don't you." I state.

They both shrug and my mom takes a sip of her water, just as my dad lifts his paper up further. Both blocking their faces from me, knowing how terrible they are at giving away secrets.

I chuckle and sigh, shaking my head as I turn and head back upstairs.

I grab my phone off the nightstand and decide to text him.

_Tris: I don't know what I should wear. Casual? Fancy? Shoes? Heels?_

_*ping ping*_

I'm glad he didn't leave me hanging long.

_Tobias: Up to you...but I'd say, casual, no heels. But dress warm._

_Tris: Warm? Like sweater and boots warm?_

_Tobias: I'm sure whatever you decide will be great._

_Tris: Ha! Alright, so sweatpants and converse it is._

_Tobias: You'll still be sexy as ever._

I chuckle to myself and look through my measly closet selection. Well, between the clothing Jenna had got me, along with the few things Christina, Shauna and I had went to get, I'm pretty well covered in all areas of clothing. It's just not quite the selection I had before, since I had been gathering clothes over the years. But I can't complain. It was actually pretty fun to shop and replenish my wardrobe.

After browsing my options for a moment, I just decide to settle on some black leggings, a cream colored cable knit sweater and my brown boots. Hopefully it will be a good combo, casual, but a little nicer than usual. I'm not sure what he meant by dress 'warm', so I also grab my jacket and a scarf.

But since it is a date after all, I decide to borrow my mom's curling iron and proceed to dry my hair and give it a few curly waves. I also apply a small amount of makeup and brush my teeth again.

By the time I'm done, it's 3:55. So I grab my bag and head downstairs. But as I near the bottom steps, I hear a knock at the front door. Since I'm already near the door, I decide to answer it.

As I pull the door open, I'm expecting to greet one of my parent's friends or neighbors or something. So I'm surprised to see Tobias standing there, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in hand.

Not only is he wearing that gorgeous smile, but he's wearing dark washed jeans and a plaid flannel button up shirt, looking like he's straight out of the Calvin Klein fall ad.

He seems freshly showered and shaved, but I'm happy to see he kept a slight short beard. He knows I like a little facial hair on him.

I'm speechless at first, not only because after two weeks of staying here at my parent's house, he's here knocking on the door and standing on the front porch like a formal guest, but also simply because of his sweet gesture of making this special and 'date like' for me.

"Hello." he says, breaking me from my stare.

"Uh, hi." I say, shaking my head to pull myself together. "Come in, what are you doing out there?" I ask, referring the formality of his gesture.

"Well, I'm here to pick up my girlfriend for our date of course. Are you ready to go? You look beautiful by the way." he says, handing me the flowers.

I smile at him as I sniff in the wonderful scent of the long stemmed red roses.

"Yes. And these are beautiful, thank you." I reply, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Let me put these in some water, then we'll go." I say. But as I go to turn and do just that, my mom stands there with a big smile on her face. My dad then makes his way up behind her, his smile broadening as he sees the roses that my mother takes from my hand.

"I'll take care of these," she says and then looks to Tobias, "Have a good night you two."

"Driver careful." my dad adds.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Prior, we will." Tobias says.

I can't help but be entertained by my parents indulging in this little formal banter, as if they're just meeting my date for the first time.

We finally bid our goodbyes and head out to my dad's car. We get in buckle up, and he begins backing out of the driveway.

"You're really going all out with this, aren't you?" I ask, still amused.

"This is already the best date I've ever been on." he says.

"What?" I reply with a small laugh.

"Seriously, already the best." he insists, glancing at me briefly with a smile before turning his eyes back to the road.

"You must have had some terrible luck with women then." I say, not believing a word he's saying. We've barely made it 3 blocks away from my parent's house. How could it be the best already?

"No. They just weren't you."

Not the answer I was expecting. I thought he was going to say he was always late, or always had car trouble, or would get really nervous and sweaty or something. His response makes me want to point out how cheesy that sounds, but I can tell he doesn't care. Because I see the truth in his eyes, the way he looks at me lets me know he's serious.

"I guess I know what you mean." I say, knowing this is indeed the best date I've ever been on too, because it's with _him_.

I then reach over and take his free hand from where it rests on the gear shift, and entwine my fingers with his.

He offers me another smile and we head towards the highway.

I try and take in my surroundings, it attempt to figure out where we're going. But I end up getting distracted by the music we're now blaring and ridiculously singing along to.

Yet again, we happily enjoy something we were unfortunately without for those couple of weeks on the island. Being a lover of music and being unable to listen to any for that long, was tough for both of us. So we definitely take advantage of listening to it often now. Thankfully we have very similar tastes in music, so it makes it even better.

After a short ways though, he drives into a business park type area and I'm even more curious as to where we're headed.

He ends up pulling into a fairly deserted driveway that belongs to a big gray unmarked building.

"Are we lost?" I ask, looking at him a bit confused.

"No, we're not lost," he says with a chuckle, "This is the first destination."

"First? As in there will be more than one?" I ask, a small questioning smile on my face.

"Yes, we have a few stops this evening. Date-of-all-dates, remember?" he replies with a smirk as he pulls into a nearby parking spot and kills the engine.

We get out of the vehicle and begin making our way towards the entrance.

I search for a sign anywhere to implicate what this place is, but as we approach the door, he distracts me with pulling the hand he was holding of mine, up to his lips for a kiss.

He opens the door for me and we head inside. We proceed to walk through a dimly lit hallway with blue carpeting. It's an odd place, and nobody really seems to be around. But as we head towards a big doorway that seems to lead to a large lit area, I finally realize where we are.

An indoor ice skating rink.

"Ice skating?" I ask, biting my lip as I look at him incredulously.

"Yep. You once told me you've never gone, and always wanted to. I couldn't find any outdoor rinks, so I found the closest indoor place. Now I can to teach you." he says, pulling me towards a small window where we rent some ice skates.

After we're geared up, we head to the entrance to the rink, which only has two young girls skating around at the other end, seemingly very good and practicing a routine.

"I'm going to fall right on my ass, I know it." I say as I begin to put one skate on the very slippery ice. This is way harder than I expected.

"I told you, I'll help." he says, taking both of my hands in his and he steps onto the ice backwards.

"When did you become an expert ice skater?" I ask, not remembering him ever mentioning this.

He shrugs. "I grew up in Chicago. Even played on a youth hockey team for a while."

I guess it makes sense that ice skating is more common in the colder East Coast states.

"Wow, alright then. Show me how it's done big boy."

"C'mon, my California girl. I have a feeling you'll be better at this than you think." he says.

"What would give you that implication?" I ask, eyebrows raised with a small smile.

"Because you're awesome. And also because you're already gliding around like it's no big deal." he says, and that's when I realize my hands are still in his and I am indeed gliding around the ice with ease, not even noticing the ground move beneath me. But at that sudden realization, I begin to lose my balance and almost slip on my butt like I expected. But of course he catches me and doesn't let me go down.

"That's cheating." I say.

"This isn't a competition." he chuckles.

His grin is so adorable and contagious.

"Well, you got me all locked up in your dark mysterious eyes and were talking and distracting me. I didn't realize we'd made it out this far. Then I freaked and started losing my balance."

"Just have confidence. Don't over think it." he says, pulling me along with him some more as he skates backwards. "See, you're doing great."

Over the next hour, we skate around in lazy circles. He even shows me a few silly moves, and I'm able to make it a full lap around the rink on my own a few times. But we still prefer to hold hands. He even shows me a few more advanced moves, and we have a ton of fun.

I only fell on my ass twice.

"Thank you, that was really fun." I say as we head outside towards the car. "I can't believe you remembered I told you about wanting to do that. I barely remember mentioning it. I think it came up in random conversation one night we were up doing watch, right?" I ask, vaguely remembering the conversation.

"Yep, we were up late talking and it lead to us discussing things we'd like to learn to do one day, assuming we were going to get rescued and not be abandoned there forever. And well, I knew if we made it out alive, I wanted to help make sure you could follow through with those things. So you can check ice skating off your list now."

The next thing I know, I'm crashing my lips to his, essentially pushing him into the car that we finally approached. My arms wrap around his neck and hold him close as my lips mould to his. Eventually, I pull away with my hands on his cheeks, looking up at him with a loving smile.

"Best date, by far." I say. "I love you."

"I love you too." he says with a grin.

Then we're off towards our next destination.

"You work up an appetite?" he asks.

"I did." I say, and as if on cue, my stomach grumbles in hunger.

We both laugh and although I assume we're headed off for dinner, I don't bother to try and figure out where. I trust him and now look forward to his surprises.

He doesn't disappoint.

Not 10 minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of Alonzo's. My _favorite_ Italian restaurant.

"Also something I told you about." I say with a small smile. He really is putting any past dates I've had to shame.

"Yep. I mean, I had to google where it was and confirmed with you parents I had the right place, but I remembered you saying it was your favorite. Especially their pasta Bolognese and tiramisu, right?"

"You're incredible." I say, a slight shake of my head since I'm in awe.

"I'm just a good listener." he replies as we head into the restaurant.

We're greeted by Alonzo himself and we're escorted back to a romantic table for two.

This restaurant has always felt somewhat casual and family friendly, but the dimmed lighting and candles on the tables also offer a more intimate setting for couples as well. But the best part, is that it's good authentic homemade Italian family recipes.

"Wait 'til you try their complimentary breadsticks too. They give us a side of marinara for them. It's practically like a meal all on its own, they're amazing." I say, setting the menu aside, already knowing what I want.

He sets his on top of mine at the end of the table.

"You already know what you want to order?" I ask.

"Well, you seem to claim they have the best pasta Bolognese, so yes, I know what I'm ordering." he says with a smile. "Should we get some wine too?"

"Sure, I'm not picky. Whichever one you'd like is fine." I say.

After we place our orders, we sit and chat until the food arrives. I love how everything is so comfortable and natural with him.

Dinner is delicious, as expected. But as the server comes to ask us about dessert, Tobias steps in and speaks up before I have a chance.

"Two orders of tiramisu, to-go please." he requests.

I wonder why he asked for them to-go. Maybe he has more planned for our evening?

"Yes, we'll be taking it somewhere else to enjoy." he tells me as if reading my mind.

"Just one surprise after another." I say smiling. He reaches across the table and takes my hand, smiling back at me.

We feel someone linger over towards us, and at first I assume it's the server with the dessert boxes. But when I look up, I see it's a young girl, probably in her early teens. She seems nervous as she approaches us. But she stops at the edge of our table and Tobias and I both look at her with curious, but friendly smiles.

"Are you Tris and Four? The plane crash survivors?" she asks timidly.

Wow, that's a surprise. But okay, she's just a young girl, right? No harm in her curiosity.

I feel Tobias look to me, and I give him the slightest of nods, giving confirmation that I'm okay with revealing that it's us.

"Yes, we are." he says.

"Sorry to interrupt your dinner, but I saw you two on TV, and your story was really amazing. Not only how you stayed strong and made it through all that, but your love story as well. It was just...really inspiring. I figure, if you guys could make it through all that. I could make it through my stupid struggles of being a freshman, and whatever else my future holds." she admits, her cheeks tinting pink slightly. She's obviously quite shy, much like I was at her age.

"No problem, you didn't interrupt, we were just finishing up." I say, still smiling kindly. "I'm glad we were inspiring for you. It was definitely an unexpected ordeal. But we stayed strong and optimistic, and it all worked out in the end." I say and she nods along, listening intently. "And trust me, we dealt with struggles in our youth as well. Everyone does, whether they admit it or not. But don't to dwell on the little things. Just stay strong and be yourself." I add, not knowing where this whole little speech just came from, but it's the truth.

She smiles and nods.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me." she says. "Do you think, I um, could get a picture with you both?" she asks shyly.

That's when I look to Tobias to see what he thinks, and he seems indifferent. So I go ahead and agree to it.

Her mother steps forward then, where she had been standing nearby to give her daughter a moment to speak with us.

She hands her mom her phone as Tobias and I both stand. We all lean in and her mom takes a couple of photos of the three of us.

"Thank you again, you guys are really nice." she says.

"No problem. What's your name by the way?" I ask.

"Kaylee." she says, her smile broadening, as if she's surprised we care to know her name.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you Kaylee." I say and lean in to give her a small hug.

Her mom smiles at us and encourages her to come back to their table now, so that we can get back to ours.

"Nice meeting you too." she tells us and gives us a small wave as she walks back to her table grinning giddily.

Tobias and I take our seats again, and he just looks at me, as if he's proud and pleased with my interaction with the girl.

"What?" I ask with a small laugh as he continues his sexy stare.

"I just keep finding more and more reasons I love you." he says.

"I love you too ya know. More and more each day." I tell him truthfully.

We share a moment of silence just smiling at each other, but it's not long before our bill and the dessert arrives.

After leaving the restaurant, he drives a short ways until we reach an old drive-in movie theater. I've driven by it many times, but never actually attended it.

"Old school drive-in, huh?" I ask as we park in a somewhat more secluded parking area off in the corner by the tree line.

"Yeah, I figured a standard dinner and a movie would be too traditional, so decided to mix it up a bit. Plus, the drive-in has more privacy and less annoying crowd of people around to bump elbows with."

"Well, it's my first time here, so I'm excited. And I like the sound of privacy, but don't think I didn't hear how you sounded hopeful when you mentioned that point." I tease him with a smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he playfully denies. "But hey, it is a double-feature after all. Maybe you'll get bored and want to make out with me? A guy can hope." he chuckles, and begins tuning the radio to the applicable station so that the sound of the movie will play through the car speakers.

I playfully roll my eyes, but honestly, he's being adorable and I want nothing more than to make out with him. _And more._

Especially after having been under my parent's roof for the last couple weeks, we haven't had much private time. Even at night, we don't want to take a chance while they're asleep, considering they share a wall with our room and they can probably hear everything. So we're like an anxious sex deprived couple. You'd think a couple weeks wouldn't be too bad, but it's more difficult than I ever thought.

So after the movie begins and we dig into our delicious tiramisu, we sit a while, snuggled up the best we can in the front seat together.

But about a half hour into the movie, my lips find his neck. They work their way around, dipping slightly under the collar of his shirt.

He lets out a small deep moan, that almost sounds like a growl, as I continue to press my lips to his sensitive skin, now trailing them up towards his ear. I seductively run my tongue along his ear lobe before tugging on it gently with my teeth.

"Now that we're going steady and all," I whisper, playing into the retro environment, "And we're practically all alone out here..." I continue, but he cuts me off with his lips crashing to mine. He kisses me thoroughly, with so much passion, that one might think it's been months since he's been able to touch his lips to mine.

After exploring the wonderful sensations of our tongues getting reacquainted, my hand ends up traveling down to the front of his jeans, rubbing my palm against his hardness that I feel pressing against the denim.

He sucks in a breath as I make the contact, releasing it shakily as his eyes float closed.

"You drive me crazy, but in the best way." he murmurs as he leans his forehead against mine and wraps his arms around me.

"Do you think anyone can see in here?" I ask timidly.

"Its dark out, so not unless they walked up and approached the car." he manages to say, but it turns into a pleasant groan as I unsnap his jeans and begin pulling down the zipper.

"You better be my look-out then." I say and kiss him one more time on the mouth before re-adjusting in my seat so that I can comfortably lean over to where my face is in his crotch.

I pull him out of his boxer-briefs and as usual, the first word that comes to mind; perfection.

"You don't have to-" he begins to say as I run my hand up and down it, but he stops mid-sentence as I lean down and run my tongue along the bottom, from base to tip.

"Fuck- you feel so good Tris." he says roughly, and I feel him gently move my hair to one side, so that he can hold it out of my way, and probably so he can watch me better. He always seems to like to watch when I do this.

After successfully sucking and caressing him to the best of my ability considering we're in a car, he looks at me with pleased glassy eyes, and lazy grin on his face.

"You're awesome." he says.

"You are. That's why I like to do that so much." I reply.

"Well, it is greatly appreciated." he says and gently caresses the side of my face with his large hand, as he begins placing opened mouth kisses along my neck and collar bone. His other hand sneaks down to my own pants and slides in the front, having no trouble since my leggings are stretchy.

His hand rubs me against the outside my underwear first, causing me to shiver in pleasure.

"I love getting your panties wet." he mumbles against my throat. And just like that, they're even wetter than they were before. Just his words alone causing the desire and neediness in me to spike to a new level.

He rubs me a few more times outside of the cotton material, in slow deliberate circles. But at my whiny moan, I feel him smile against my skin, and then he slips his hand in to touch me bare.

I can't contain the throaty moan that escapes my throat as he slips a finger in, then another.

As he continues to pump them in and out, I get closer and closer to what I anticipate to be an incredible orgasm, as is predicted with this sensational man.

But as I get closer, and my breathing quickens, he pulls his hand out completely, stopping abruptly.

I open my eyes, not sure why he's stopped. But he quickly reaches over me to reach for the knob that lays my seat back. Upon him pulling it, I'm quickly thrust into a reclined position and I let out a squeak at the abrupt movement.

Once I'm laid back, he takes a quick glance around at our surroundings, to ensure nobody is still nearby. He must decide the coast is clear, because he quickly tugs my pants and underwear down just to my thighs, then leans over and resumes what he had been doing with his hands, but now adds his mouth to the equation.

Especially now that he's burying his hand _and_ face down there, I'm pretty much immediately thrown into the intense orgasmic wonder that he so expertly sends me into.

After coming down from my high, he pulls back up, his lips glistening. He helps me pull my pants back up and uses his sleeve to wipe his hand and face. But he still has that illustrious satisfied grin.

"Now _that_, is my favorite dessert." he says and pulls me in to snuggle into his side.

**-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**There we have it! Their first date. So sweet!**

**Only one more chapter after this. ****But I may also do an epilogue. **

**Thank you for all your reviews, favorites and follows so far! Please continue to review if you have a moment to spare, I appreciate any/all feedback!**

**Thank you Ractre1127 for all your amazing help, as always.**

**Final chapter will be posted in about a week. **

**:)**

**-Madison**


	15. Chapter 15

**"Crash Landing"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any rights to Divergent or its characters, or any branding I reference in this story.**

**Also, this story is definitely rated M (Mature) for language and sexual content. So please only read if you're of an appropriate age!**

**Keep in mind... the beginning of this chapter takes place three weeks after Chapter 14. But then there are a few more time skips throughout this final chapter. So keep an eye out for the bold areas marking those breaks.**

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Chapter 15:**

~~TRIS POV~~

"It starts at page 40." My mother tells Christina who sits next to her at the dining room table across from me.

"Wow, there it is! Tris, your section looks beautiful. Look at you two." Christina exclaims as she points out the magazine article.

Will and Tobias are our on a mountain bike ride, so the three of us decided to have some girl time. We're trying to take advantage of it before my boyfriend and I set off on our year-long travel adventure.

"They had a great photographer, you remember her." I tell Christina, referring to the photo shoot we all did to go along with our magazine interview. They took several pictures of everyone, of course with plans to narrow it down to a few of the best pictures of each person.

But somehow Tobias and I got a full 2-page section, donning not just a couple pictures of us, but 7! I wasn't expecting that at all, and don't prefer to feel like the spectacle of the piece. But I guess our relationship story sells headlines, and brings some extra uplifting happiness to the readers.

"I know, she was great. She made my skin look luminous, it was awesome." Christina recalls happily. "But seriously, you two look like models." she tilts her head, still glancing at one of the pictures. "Models who are madly in love."

"Well, they sure seem to be, so that makes sense. But I see what you mean, their chemistry definitely shines in these photographs." my mom says in agreement.

"It helped that they cleared the room. The photo session felt more intimate with fewer people in the area." I chime in.

"I really hope you consider me to be one of your bridesmaids." Christina says, pointing at me to emphasize her point.

"What? Beatrice, is there something you'd like to tell me?" my mother asks, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"No." I reply pointedly. "Seriously Christina?" I ask my friend with a small laugh and a shake of my head. "Mom, we're not getting married. Chris is just jumping to conclusions. Or starting rumors. Whatever she likes to do best."

"So you're not getting married?" my mother asks sadly.

"Geez, bummed out much?" I ask her with a smile. "I'm not saying we won't ever get married. I'm saying, we need a bit more time. I mean, we just planned a year's worth of traveling. Not to mention I should probably wait for him to actually ask me to marry him before confirming such decisions without him." I clarify.

There is a brief silence as my mom nods in understanding. But then she looks to Christina.

"Don't worry, I know she'll have you as one of her bridesmaids." she says with a pat on Chris' shoulder.

"Do you think they should have an indoor wedding? Or outdoor? Or in a church? Ooh, she'd look amazing in a mermaid style wedding dress." Christina says while my mother nods along in excitement.

"Did I just hear something about a wedding dress? Is someone getting married?" My dad asks as he enters the room and takes a seat with us.

My mom and Christina giggle, while I roll my eyes and chuckle. But I can't help the flutter in my chest at the prospect of marrying Tobias.

**-/-/-/-/-**

****1 month later** (Italy)**

"Everything here is so gorgeous." I say as we walk through the tranquil Garden of Oranges, also known as Parco Sevello. Its fantastic views of monuments, roof tops and domes of Rome, seem to encapsulate both the flavors of the modern and medieval.

The park itself fits neatly behind the ancient Basilica of Santa Sabina, and beside the Piazza Pietro d'Illiria. As we walk this secluded square, the crisp cool air tickles our skin. So we pull our coats a bit tighter before we take a seat on a nearby bench, where Tobias offers me some of the roasted chestnuts he just purchased from a vendor.

"I agree. Seeing The Pantheon and The Colosseum...it's all so incredible." he agrees, referring to the beautiful places we've visited so far. "You excited to visit Vatican City tomorrow?"

"Ha! Are you kidding? Of course I'm excited! Seeing the Sistine Chapel, and the work of Michelangelo..." I trail off whimsically, still not quite fathoming that we're actually here.

He smiles and rests his hand on my knee.

"I'm excited too. This trip is amazing so far, and we've only been gone a couple of weeks."

"I know, I'm thrilled that we have so much time to explore." I reply, leaning my head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of my head and then pops another chestnut in his mouth.

"Want some gelato?" he asks.

"Sometimes I think you just want to travel for the food." I laugh, but I stand up anyway, definitely liking the sound of some authentic Italian gelato.

"Yeah, I'd say it's at least _one_ of the reasons." he says smiling at me.

-/-/-

After getting our delicious dessert, we head back to our hotel. We set our stuff down and he goes over to the couch to begin untying his shoes. Whereas I tell him I'm going to go take off these clothes and get into my pajamas.

But when I get into the bedroom, I decide to put on something different.

I've never worn lingerie for Tobias, or anyone for that matter. So I feel a little silly as I slip on the short black silk and lace night gown. After it's on, I glance at myself in the mirror.

It hangs just below my butt, and the thin spaghetti straps show off my shoulders and collar bone. The lacy bodice draws attention to the my breasts, which seem to strain against the fabric, showing off my hardened nipples as the bathroom tiles beneath my feet cool my whole body.

I decide to undo my hair from his braid and brush my teeth. I give myself one more quick glance before taking a deep breath and making my way back into the living area, casually curling up on the couch beside Tobias.

He's watching the news on TV with a confused and concentrated look.

"My Italian must be terrible, I can't understand anything they're saying. They're talking so fast. But it looks like we're going to have a cold weekend by the looks of those numbers." he says.

"I'll be sure to dress warmer tomorrow." I reply.

He sits back more comfortably into the back of the couch from where he was leaning forward, and for a brief moment he glances at me, but then does a double-take when he sees what I'm wearing.

He then turns his body so that it's facing me better, and lets a hand trail up the length of my legs just like his eyes are. "God, you're beautiful, Tris. I'm so fucking thankful you're mine."

My breath catches at his sincere words. And as he leans in, my eyelids droop in anticipation of the sensuous feeling of his lips on mine.

The soft pillowy pressure is followed by the bristling scratch of his stubbly beard on my face. But I love it.

I allow his tongue to meet mine as my hands seek refuge in his hair.

"Too many clothes." I manage to get out as I tug up on his shirt.

He then stands and pulls his shirt off as I go for his belt. I attempt to unbuckle it, but he beats me to it, swiftly dropping his pants and boxers in one swift movement, kicking them off to the side.

"Bedroom?" he asks and I nod immediately. He bends over me and goes to pick me up, so I help by wrapping my arms and legs around him.

He groans in appreciation when he feels by bare center press against his stomach, realizing I wasn't wearing any underwear.

He presses his lips all along my neck and jaw as he carries me to the bed. Once we get to it, he roughly pulls back the comforter and lays me down.

As soon as my back hits the sheets, he's pushing my nightgown up, spreading my legs and sheathing himself inside me.

A soft, throaty moan releases from me, and it seems to compel him to push deeper inside. His lips seek mine, and my mouth opens widely with a slight tilt of my head, granting him better access to explore.

The interweaving of our tongues seems to heighten our arousal as we revel in the tingly warmth emanating from within. My hands wander down, grabbing his bottom and pushing him into me with a squeeze. His arms tighten around me as his hips move to a beat of their own. All the while, our lips remain locked together.

He tastes like the chocolate hazelnut coffee gelato he had earlier. Dark, strong, and with a hint of sugar. His kiss is invigorating, and I let his flavor infuse my taste buds as I dip my tongue in to savor him even more.

His hand floats down to the small of my back, pushing himself more tightly to me, while his tongue continues to flick against mine. The oral vibration coupled with the pressure of his erection, drives me absolutely crazy. I can't help but whimper and guide my hands to clutch his hair once again as I submit to the bruising force of his lips on mine.

As he pumps into me recklessly and I know he's close. But I know he wants me to reach that pinnacle with him as he grabs my rear, tilting me at the best angle to ignite the spark.

He strokes with long strides, removing his head and plunging back in. The friction of his tip entering me repeatedly overwhelms my senses as I become desperate for release. I'm breathless, panting, and jerking my hips.

"Ah Tobias, fuck…Tobias…" my voice trails off, and my eyes squeeze shut tightly as the intensity of my orgasm swells and takes over my entire being.

Tobias knows he's succeeded as my walls are unrelenting, gripping his shaft as his climax hits.

My head presses back against the pillows as he falls forward against me, his load shooting inside me. His deep guttural moans are accompanied by my soft satisfied cries from the perpetual stimulation. I smile and sigh contently, my body feeling completely limp.

Tobias then falls to the side of me, so as not to keep his full weight on me for too long.

His breathing is still ragged, but he lays on his side looking at me with an affectionate and sated smile on his face.

"I like this." he says, pointing out the night gown that is now bunched up just below my breasts.

"I thought you might." I say, leaning in to kiss the tip of his nose. But he takes advantage of our proximity and nuzzles my face with his; brushing our noses together, our lips just grazing each other's like a feather.

"I love you." he says, rubbing his thumb on my cheek.

"I love you too," I whisper back while leaning into his hand. "So much."

****6 months later** (France)**

I lay awake in bed, for some reason up much earlier than I usually am. But I'm comfortable and content, and I refuse to move from my spot snuggled up against Tobias' chest. He has an arm wrapped around me, holding me close, and I just lay there enjoying the feeling of his heart beating below my ear.

My mind starts to wander to our trip so far.

We had enjoyed many parts of Italy. Not only Vatican City, but also Naples, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Milan, and plenty of amazing places in between. Including a couple of relaxing wine filled days in Tuscany.

After that, we went to Switzerland, which was gorgeous. The Swiss Alps are one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

Then we went to Austria, where we enjoyed the rich history; visiting museums, castles, and so forth.

Then to Germany, where we visited Berlin and enjoyed a festive -not so sober- Oktoberfest.

We then traveled to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and even spent a couple of crazy days in Amsterdam. Of which was quite fun, but decided wouldn't hurt to omit when recalling our adventures of this trip to our parents.

After we recovered from that, it was Christmas time and we headed to England. So our gift to my mom, dad and Caleb, as well as his mother and sister, was to fly them there for a two week holiday vacation. So we enjoyed the Christmas season in the United Kingdom with our loved ones, taking them with us to visiting everything from Westminster Abbey and Hyde Park, to the London Eye and Stonehenge. It was a wonderful experience, sightseeing and having everyone together.

But after they returned home, Tobias and I continued our adventure as planned. We went to Ireland, taking in the green landscapes, as well as many pubs and good eats. Shepherd's pie is one of Tobias' favorites.

Then we were off to Belgium, where I had the best chocolate of my life. I even bought some and sent it to our families.

Once we indulged ourselves enough there, we made it to where we are now, France.

Where we currently lay in our charming and cozy hotel room. The window open a crack so that the white curtain flows with the slight breeze. But it's not too cold since we both emanate heat as our bodies lie tangled together.

We just arrived here last night, and I've been anxious to visit the city of love. Thus, probably the reason I awoke so early, and haven't had any luck falling back asleep.

The time we've spent traveling Europe has been even better than I could have imagined. To think I would have done all this traveling on my own. Yeah, I guess it still would have been fun. But boy am I glad it didn't work out that way. Tobias has been the best companion I could ask for.

I smile to myself as I think back to his expression when I took him to the soccer game -or _football_, as they say here- for his birthday, and how excited he was to be there in person. I had remembered him mentioning how he's loved to watch the games on TV, ever since his Uncle got him into the sport as a kid. As we pulled up to the stadium, he definitely seemed surprised and to see him cheering on his favorite team with a big grin on his face, made it all the more worth it.

I sigh contentedly at the memory and snuggle into him a little deeper.

"You're even more smiley than usual this morning. Have a good dream?" he asks groggily as his hand rubs up and down my arm.

"No." I laugh lightly at his assumption. "I was just thinking about how awesome this trip has been."

"I agree. A part of me wondered if I'd ever actually be able to travel like this. So it's a dream come true."

"You mean you're not sick of me yet?" I ask teasingly, aimlessly trailing my fingertips up and down his chest.

"No, not yet." he teases back. "But I think it helped that I took Ernest Hemingway's advice.

"And what's that?" I ask with a smirk.

"Never go on trips with anyone you do not love." he says, quoting the famous author.

"You and your quotes." I chuckle. But his words just brighten my heart even further.

"You know you love it." he says, giving my side a ticklish pinch, causing me to giggle.

When I shrug nonchalantly he tickles me more.

"Okay! I do! I do!" I exclaim through my fits of laughter, wishing for the tickling to stop.

By now all the sheets are messed up and I finally untangle myself from them and hastily get up.

"I'm going to go get ready now. You should too, we have a big day ahead of us." I say, grabbing an outfit from my suitcase.

"You have no idea..." I think I hear him mumble under his breath. Which causes me to look back to the bed to see him lying there leaning on one arm, his tan muscular chest exposed to my unrelenting eyes. The sheets lay pooled around his waist, and a big part of me wants to crawl right back into bed and explore those covered regions.

But, we're in France. And we're only here for a few days before we hop on a plane and head back to the U.S. for our 'American Tour' as he's calling it. Which entails us traveling to several different states, including those with all the big national parks, where we plan on doing a lot of hiking and camping.

"I'll be ready in 20 minutes." I say with a smile.

"_I'll_ be ready in 19." he says, throwing off the blanket and racing to beat me to the shower.

-/-/-

After eating a delicious breakfast of French omelets and fresh fruit, we stroll through the streets of Paris hand in hand. It's mostly just companionable silence. But every so often we point things out to each other or stop to take pictures.

We dodge Parisians walking their poodles and pushing baby strollers in the vibrant market street, and I'm reminded that one of the reasons Paris is so wonderfully entertaining, is its neighborhoods. On streets such as Rue des Martyrs, people make cozy communities in the midst of the vast city. It's a warm and human vibrancy one would miss when just hopping from museum to museum.

We pass a bakery with a sign in the window, bragging their baguettes were voted best in Paris. And on our other side, is a line of motorbikes poised to deliver food to the locals.

Rue des Martyrs leads toward the center of Paris from the busy boulevard Clichy. As we wander, we feel the reality of how they raise families and the nice sense of neighborhood in this urban setting.

Shopping for groceries seems to be an integral part of everyday life here. I get the feeling that Parisians shop almost daily for a few good reasons; they have tiny refrigerators and kitchens, produce must always be fresh, and simply because it seems to be an important social event. It surprisingly has a bit of a small town feel, as shopping gives you a chance to hear about the butcher's vacation plans, see photos of the florist's grandchildren, relax over a cappuccino, and kiss the cheeks of friends and neighbors.

Goods spill onto the sidewalk. And locals happily pay more at a shop that's not part of a chain, which I admire and appreciate.

The corner charcuterie sells various meats, which catches Tobias' attention immediately. But it turns out they've got much more than meat, offering a variety of prepared dishes sold by the weight, and they even have a few tables so that customers can eat in as well as take out.

After we make a stop there and sample the goods, we stop by the cheese shop. Which as the man tells us, has been serving the neighborhood ever since it used to keep goats and cows out back. But the fromagerie still preserves its aluminum milk jugs and old marble shelves, and it still only sells the products of small artisan farms.

In mid-afternoon, we visit le Louvre, which is truly spectacular. We spend even longer there than we expected, so by the time we leave, the sun is beginning to set.

"You hungry? Should we get some dinner?" I ask him, noticing he's acting a little odd. Maybe he's hungry? After all, it's been hours since we actually ate a meal. We've just snacked here and there. He's almost acting a little stiff, he's less relaxed than he usually is. But I guess it has been a long day, so he's probably also tired.

"Yeah, sure, dinner sounds good. But let's head this way first, I want to show you something." he says and takes my hand once again before he begins leading the way.

We walk leisurely, enjoying the twinkling lights reflecting off the slowly darkening clear sky. But still, it only takes a few minutes for us to walk to where he was apparently intending to take us. I take in the sight, and see we've stepping onto the wooden planks of a pedestrian bridge with breathtaking views of the city and river. But it doesn't go unnoticed that the fencing all along the bridge is covered in padlocks. I remember hearing something about this, but don't recall what it means.

"The Pont des Arts," he begins. I look up, watching him as he continues to tell me about where we are. "Couples in love come here. They write their names on a padlock and lock it onto the bridge. They then throw the key into the Seine River as a symbol of their undying love and commitment." he explains.

"Really? That's so sweet." I say with a smile, taking in the thousands of various locks surrounding us. And just as he said, they're covered in markings with people's names and the dates they left them.

"Yep. Some say the only way to break the seal of love brought on by this love lock act, is to find the key and unlock the padlock. Of course, that is nearly impossible, since the keys lie at the bottom of the river." he says, leading us towards the center of the bridge. "There are actually two bridges here in Paris like this. But the Pont des Arts is reserved for your committed love, your wife, your husband, your partner." he says.

I feel like he's getting at something now. Is this why he was acting strange? Maybe he wants to suggest we add a lock to the bridge? Which if that's true, it's extremely romantic and sweet. At first, I feel at a loss for words. But after a moment, I decide to just ask. It's Tobias after all, _my partner, my committed love, _as he said.

"Should we add a lock here too?" I ask, for some reason feeling nervous as the words leave my mouth. I don't want him to feel obligated to do it. But he did want to take me here specifically, right?

"I was hoping you'd want to." he says with a growing smile. "I brought one just in case." he says, and pulls out a fairly large silver padlock with the two keys that it came with.

I smile back as he hands it to me, along with a black permanent marker.

My heart swells with love and excitement. This man before me is indescribable. He's so amazing in every way and I feel so extremely lucky to be the girl he's in love with. Because I am in love with him in a way I never truly understood existed before meeting him.

"Here, you do it. Your writing is much better than mine." he insists.

So I take the marker and write 'Tris & Tobias - February 2014' as neatly as I can.

"Where should we put it?" I ask when I'm done.

"Hmm...I think maybe somewhere in here, where it shines near the street lamp." he says, pointing out an area.

"Good idea. Maybe here?" I ask, pointing to a more specific spot where there is just a big enough gap to lock it on the wire.

"Perfect." he agrees. So I take his hand so he can be a part of locking it in place.

"Now we throw the keys in the river?" I ask and he nods.

He looks down at the two small silver keys in his palm. He takes one of them and chucks it far into the river below. Then he takes the second key, and holds it out to me.

"Your turn." he says. So I take it and step up to lean against the railing, winding my right arm back so that I can give it a good throw. I do, and then I smile proudly at how far it goes. I then turn around ready to hug my man, happily ready to seal this treasured moment with a kiss.

But what I see throws me completely off guard.

He's down on one knee.

And he has a small black velvet box in his hand.

He looks up at me with a big genuine smile, his loving eyes sparkling against the city lights and a thrilling chill runs through my body. The cold weather had already given me goosebumps. Now Tobias seems to have successfully given my goosebumps, goosebumps.

Is this real? Is he really doing this?

"Tris, I love you more than words can say-" he begins, but my stupid impatient and excited brain is sending messages back and forrth to my heart rapidly and the next thing I know, I'm cutting him off mid-speech with an answer to a question I haven't even let him ask yet.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I squeal. And before I know it, I'm somehow on my knees in front of him to be at eye level, and I'm pressing my hands to either side of his face, holding him there as I look back at him with the same loving sincerity that he's giving me.

"You didn't even let me finish." he chuckles heartily.

"I'm sorry. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." I chuckle too and sniffle, pulling my hands from his face to cover my own face in embarrassment. I feel a happy tear roll down my cheek.

But he gently takes my wrists and pulls my hands in his where they rest on his knee that is still propped up.

"It's okay." he says with an amused grin. Thankfully he just seems endeared by my reaction, rather than upset.

"I just want to let you know...this past year has been the best of my life, because of you. You are my everything, Tris. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he tells me, pausing briefly to pull what appears to be a sparkly ring from the box, but I don't see it directly because I don't pull my eyes from his as he continues to speak. "I'm glad you agreed to seal the deal with me here at the 'love lock bridge'. But I'd like to make it more official if you'll allow it. Be my wife?"

I sigh contentedly with a grin on my face. I take a breath, ready to give a more composed and proper answer this time.

"I love you too, Tobias, and I would love to be your wife."

With that, his grin somehow widens even more and he slips the ring onto my finger. I look down at it and see that it's a gorgeous halo style diamond ring surrounded in white gold, and the whole band is encrusted with smaller diamonds. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect fit.

We stand together and he wraps his arms around me, lifting me a couple feet into the air as he twirls me in a circle, before setting me back down on my feet and pressing me into the railing. One hand caresses my cheek, his fingers tangling in my hair, as his other hand wraps around my waist, pulling me against him. Then, his lips are on mine in a passionate searing kiss. I reciprocate wholeheartedly, ardent with love for my new fiancé.

I am beyond thrilled to be his wife. To have him as my husband.

I'm going to be Mrs. Tris Eaton.

**-/-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**There you have it! This story is complete! **

**Well, besides the possibility of an epilogue, if you readers would like me to put one together. Let me know!**

**If you're from Europe, or for those of you who are more familiar with it than me, please forgive my not so great descriptions of what I assume is a truly wonderful place. I did my best considering I've unfortunately never had the opportunity to travel that far (yet). **

**Thank you SOOO much for all the wonderful feedback/reviews to that last chapter, as well as this whole story in general! And thank you for following/favoriting! **

****As usual, I will be posting a picture collage (well, actual a couple of them), to correlate with this chapter. They'll be up tonight or tomorrow on my Tumblr (madisonr1129).****

**Also, a big thanks to my beta and friend Ractre1127 for being amazing, as always! This story has been a lot of fun to write, and your help and encouragement is so appreciated! (Readers: I recommend checking out her Mortal Instruments stories, they're great!)**

**Last but not least- as mentioned, I do have another new story in the works. Which is yet again, another take on a Four/Tris love story (AU/Modern day), because those are my favorite! I don't want to give you any spoilers, but stay tuned, I'll be posting it soon! I have several ideas for some one-shot stories as well, so who knows, I might randomly post those as well.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading! Knowing people are actually enjoying my writing motivates me to keep it up! You're quite the confidence booster, so thank you again! **

**:)**

**-Madison**


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